Stillness
Sumi-e, Japanese ink painting, works with almost nothing: ink, water, paper. In calligraphy class as a kid, my favorite part wasn't the writing. It was grinding the ink stick against the stone until the water turned black, and the room went quiet.
These pieces are made for that kind of quiet. With so few colors, nothing pulls at your attention, and your own mind fills in the rest. Still Water is my favorite here.
How I choose these pieces
For every piece on this page, at least ten others didn't make it. I drop anything that doesn't feel truly Japanese. And I only keep a piece if I'd want it on my own wall, and if I can picture the room it would make calmer.
Ryushi Nagata, founder of the MA walls
Stillness art prints: ink, mist and quiet water
Seijaku (静寂) is the Japanese word for stillness: a quiet deep enough that your mind goes quiet with it. This collection draws on sumi-e (墨絵), Japanese ink painting, where a few strokes of black ink and a lot of empty paper are enough to hold a whole landscape.
The seven pieces work in black, grey and pale tones. Still Water is a lake so calm it works as a mirror. Mist Valley is mountains fading into fog. Mountain Breath is a single peak above its reflection. Moon is a pale moon over a distant ridge. Winter Branch is one bare branch with snow on it. Bamboo in Wind is a single stem bending. One Stroke is one brush mark.
Where to hang stillness wall art
These prints suit places where you go to calm down, or where you need to concentrate: a bedroom, a study, the wall above a desk. With so few colours, they sit easily beside almost any furniture.
For help with height, size and spacing, read our guide to hanging Japandi wall art.
Paper and sizes
Each stillness poster is printed to order on museum-quality matte paper sourced from Japan (189 g/m²), in four sizes from 12×16 in to 24×36 in. Each design is also available as a framed print.
Want the story behind the word? Read What Is Seijaku? in our Journal.