Katsumi Sugita

Biography

Katsumi Sugita, a sansei, or third-generation Japanese-American, was born in Arizona and raised on a farm in central Utah. As a child, the proximity of nature and his family’s adherence to Buddhist traditions had a tremendous impact on him, and these continue to be enduring influences in his life. Sugita studied art at UCLA and the Kawai Sumi-e School, and after spending many productive years working in the world of business, his readings of the life of Musashi Miyamoto, the great seventeenth century swordsman and painter, compelled him to return to the world of art. With samurai blood on both sides of his family, Sugita identified with Miyamoto’s quest for inner peace. After training in a variety of media, Sugita settled on brush painting because of its directness and immediacy. Of brush painting, Sugita says, “It is deceptive in its simplicity and its apparent ease. When a painting is simple, it is easier to see the errors. The Simpler the painting, the more flawless it must be. What is truly wonderful is how the brush painting expresses the feeling of the moment as it is felt – that direct expression of peace within.”