Failure to Success Ink Print | Sumi-e Wall Art

A Japanese proverb print for the desk wall where you do your hardest work, or a bedroom that could use some perspective. Black ink curls across a white sheet like a wave or a drift of smoke, and a proverb runs down the top left corner. In translation it reads: failure is the first step to success.

About the artwork

Black ink on white, with no other color. The strokes curl and turn, somewhere between a breaking wave and rising smoke, in the loose manner of sumi-e ink painting. The proverb 失敗は成功への第一歩 runs vertically in the top left, set apart from the swirl. It means "failure is the first step to success." The effect is spare and Japandi: a white wall with one idea on it. Portrait.

Why you'll love it

• A proverb with a real meaning. 失敗は成功への第一歩 means failure is the first step to success, a line worth seeing on a hard day.
• Wave or smoke, your call. The curling ink can read either way, so it stays interesting after months on the wall.
• Strictly black and white. With no accent color, it goes with any desk, chair or bedding you already own.
• Text up top. With the proverb in the top left, the line is the first thing you read before the eye drops to the ink.
• Made to order. Printed after you buy, colour-managed, never warehoused.

Sizes and materials

• Paper — archival matte, rolled and unframed. Thirteen sizes in all: 8" x 12" through 30" x 40", plus A4–A1.
• Matte canvas — stretched on a wooden bar, no glare, ready to hang. 12" x 16" to 30" x 40".
• Framed canvas — solid wood floating frame in white, black, espresso or natural. 12" x 16" to 30" x 40".
• Pigment-based archival inks, rated to resist fading for decades indoors.

Styling it at home

In an office, put it on the wall opposite the desk so you see it when you look up from the screen, or beside a bookshelf. In a bedroom, hang it above a nightstand or a low bench. It suits white, pale gray and soft sage walls with oak furniture and black lamps. Try 18" x 24" in an office and 24" x 36" above a bed. A black floating frame gives the ink a crisp edge. Pair it with one trailing plant on a nearby shelf.

Shipping and care

Unframed prints ship rolled in a protective tube. Framed canvas arrives ready to hang. Keep prints out of direct sunlight to protect the colour, and dust canvas with a dry, soft cloth.

Questions people ask

What does the proverb mean? 失敗は成功への第一歩 translates to "failure is the first step to success."

Where should it hang in an office? Opposite or beside the desk works best, so the proverb is in view when you look up. At 18" x 24" it holds the wall without dominating the room.

Does black ink look too stark in a bedroom? On a warm white or sage wall it looks calm rather than stark. A natural wood or white frame softens it further.