The Meditative Art of Tea: Finding Stillness Through Mixed Media
Tea holds a special place in my creative process and personal history. With a mother from Badulla, a tea estate town nestled in the Uva Province of Sri Lanka, the ritual of brewing tea has always represented comfort, nourishment and the generosity of the relationships in my life. In our rapidly moving world, the deliberate pause required to prepare a proper cup feels increasingly significant—a thoughtful and quiet resistance to constant hurry (My Sri Lankan parents always brew a cup of tea right before leaving home for the airport, it’s their way of finding some stillness before all the busyness that lay ahead).
Finding Beauty in Simplicity
These tea artworks were initially created as an experiment, using simple tools. After carefully sketching the vessel forms in light pencil, I then explored the interplay between ink, water, brush, and twig. Using these simple tools helped create the novel inked stripes that are semi-translucent and organic. The unpredictability of how the ink from the twig would react with the water on the paper, was exciting and imperfect. A process I would recommend as a form of active meditation.
What fascinates me about working with mixed media is the balance between intention and discovery. While I had envisioned where those distinctive striped patterns would appear, the precise way the ink interacted with water on paper created nuances impossible to entirely predict. This controlled exploration became a form of active meditation—mindful, focused, yet open to the possibilities that emerge when different materials converse.
Time as an Essential Ingredient
Time is the ultimate supporter. After completing the initial ink compositions—with their placed stripes and thoughtful use of negative space—I let these works rest for over six months. Although it felt a bit like abandonment, in time I realised that the space allowed both the works and my perspective to mature.
When I returned to these pieces earlier this year, I brought new intentions and materials: willow charcoal, pen, and watercolor. The addition of charcoal was a considered choice, bringing textural depth and velvety darkness that transformed the original compositions while honoring their essential forms. Despite the inherent messiness of charcoal (it does require fixative to preserve), its rich presence really complemented the earlier ink work nicely.
Exploring Mixed Media Techniques
For those interested in mixed media exploration, the combination of ink with charcoal offers rich artistic possibilities. Starting with fluid ink establishes composition and movement, while later additions of charcoal bring depth and tactile presence. The contrast between wet and dry media creates visual tension that draws the viewer in.
When using willow charcoal, embrace its messy nature—the way it responds to pressure, how it creates both bold marks and subtle shading, the dusty residue is part of the process. Fixative spray (applied outdoors) preserves the delicate markings, prevents smudging and ensures their permanence.
Finding Presence in the Creative Dialogue
What makes this approach to mixed media so centering is the attentive conversation between artist and materials. Even with careful planning, there remains space for discovery—watching how ink follows water paths, observing how charcoal responds to the texture of paper, finding the perfect balance between structure and spontaneity.
By allowing the materials to guide the process—watching how ink blooms when it meets water, observing how charcoal responds to pressure, you end up having a dialogue with your materials. And this conversation becomes a meditation itself. The end result being imperfect tea vessels with emotional impressions of that conversation.
Creating Your Own Meditative Art Practice
Artistic creation and tea rituals share remarkable qualities as mindfulness practices. Both invite us to:
Slow down and engage fully with the present moment
Balance control and surrender as part of the creative experience
Find beauty in familiar objects seen with fresh attention
Return to the practice regularly to develop deeper understanding
For those wishing to develop their own meditative art practice, consider beginning with objects that carry personal meaning. Tea vessels—with their functional beauty and cultural significance—offer rich subject matter for artistic exploration. Begin with simple tools and intentional observation, allowing each mark to be made with purpose and presence.
The Richness of Returning
Both art-making and tea preparation offer sanctuaries of meaning—spaces where time shifts quality, senses awaken, and we reconnect with tangible experiences in an increasingly digital world. The striped patterns in these tea studies evoke not only visual rhythm but also the lineage of tea cultivation in terraced hillsides that have shaped landscapes and cultures for centuries.
Some questions to consider for your own mixed media experiments into mindfulness:
What daily ritual might become your gateway to creative mindfulness?
Which familiar objects might reveal new dimensions when observed through an attentive artistic lens?
