Carol B. Waite

Ms. Waite developed interest in art during private lessons as a young woman. She majored in Fine Arts at the George Washington University and studied painting and drawing at the Corcoran Gallery in Washington, DC. At the Corcoran she worked mostly in oils and pastels, as well as ink and pencil, and enjoyed painting figures and portraits. She later studied Sumi-e at the Torpedo Factory in Alexandria, winning plaudits at an Art League show at the Torpedo Factory.

Ms. Waite has always loved the beauty and peacefulness of nature, especially flowers and birds. Sumi-e, or Oriental Brush painting, combines her interest in art and nature as well as reflecting her experience in Japan. Sumi-e is an artistic interpretation of various aspects of nature and life, done with ink-like “sumi” and watercolor on rice paper. Sumi is a solid made from the soot obtained by burning certain plants, such as bull rush, combined with glue from deer horn. The sumi is rubbed on a slate with water to make the “ink.” The “e” in sumi-e means painting in Japanese.

Sumi-e paintings by Ms. Waite have been shown in a one-person show at the Ramp Gallery in McLean, Virginia, at the several restaurants in Arlington and Fredericksburg. The Sumi-e Society of America, Inc., jury also accepted her paintings to hang at numerous Annual Juried Exhibitions held at locations around the country. Her painting at the King George Art Show won a blue ribbon. She also received an Honorable Mention at the Fredericksburg Center for Creative Art and the Art League at the Torpedo Factory in Alexandria. Ms. Waite was juried into AnnmarieGarden’s Living Gallery of artists, Solomon’s Island, MD, an associate of the Smithsonian Institute, and her work was shown at four shows there. One may also view her work at Brush Strokes Gallery in Fredericksburg (www.brushstrokesfredericksburg.com).

Ms. Waite is a member of the National Sumi-e Society, the Greater Washington Chapter of Sumi-e, FCCA, Fredericksburg Center for Creative Arts, Professional Artists and Artisans Association of Stafford, Brush Strokes Gallery (Fredericksburg, VA), and the Arlington Arts Alliance.