::: Ming Franz Studio :::

Welcome to the Ming Franz Studio. We are happy to
announce the publication of Ming Franz and Dr. Gottesman's
new book "Splash Ink with Watercolor, Looking East Painting
West," along with its accompanying DVD. If you are
interested in purchasing a copy of either the book or the
DVD, please click on the "add to cart" button below.

What is Splash Ink?

Splash Ink is a blending of Asian black ink and primary Chinese stone-ground ink colors, adding finishing touches
from Eastern tradition. Blending black ink and colored inks produces an abstract that can be variously interpreted.
Often the artist must look at the abstract for a while to let the colors speak. The creativity is in the mind of the
artist who adds finishing touches for a unique new expression.

When the splashed ink tradition began in the early centuries of Asian brush painting, only black ink and varying
tones of black ink were used. Later Asian artists began to add stone-ground colors from ink stones. Ming Franz's
unique contribution is that she combined Asian black ink with Western watercolors and watercolor techniques. For
many years, Ming has studied and experimented with Western watercolor and has mastered the technique. The
finishing touches that Ming uses are rocks, mountains, rivers, waterfalls, trees, and birds instead of ancient men or
old pagoda-roofed houses. Her innovative style of painting expresses an exceptional and contemporary view of
nature. These unique techniques dramatize her Splash Ink paintings and make them contemporary, lively, and part
of the 21st century progression in art.

This new book, "Splash Ink with Watercolor, Looking East Painting West" is an illustrated, step-by-step instructional
book, and the accompanying DVD shows Ming Franz in a live setting giving a demonstration on how to do splash
ink. The DVD was filmed and edited by UNM students from Grow Media Productions.