A.R.T., INC. 

Kazumi Cranney

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A longtime resident of Berkeley, California, Kazumi Cranney has been painting sumi-e and haiga pictures for over 40 years. Sumi-e pictures are drawn on silk or paper with a brush that has a bamboo handle and  black, Chinese ink, called sumi ink. Through time, color paints have been added to the original black ink. Haiga is a form of painting that combines three traditional Japanese arts: Japanese calligraphy, Haiku poetry, and Sumi-e pictures.  

Kazumi arrived in the U.S. in 1972. In addition to her previous studies in Japan, she has studied art at California State University, Hayward (CSUH) and the University of California at Berkeley (UCB). Since arriving in the U.S., Kazumi has been anxious to spread the word about Japanese art to Western audiences. She has made local presentations and demonstrations to the American Association of University Women (AAUW) and the Japanese Information Center of the Japan Consulate General in San Francisco. 

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Her haiga paintings have been displayed at venues in the Bay Area which include the Japan Cultural and Community Center of Northern California in San Francisco, the John O'Lague Galleria in Hayward, the Berkeley Art Center, and the Alameda Historical Museum. 

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Kazumi’s poetry has been published in Peace Poetry, Heiwa, University of Hawaii Press, A Collection of Japanese Poems, Sandal International Poetry Committee, Japan, and Poems from Mainichi Haiku Contest, Mainichi Newspapers Co., Ltd., Japan, and other publications. Recently, her haiku was selected by the Japanese American Newspaper in Los Angeles for their poetry competition.