When she was a child, she was a girl who didn't take much care as long as she had a sketchbook and a pencil. Influenced by my grandfather, who loves nature, I spent the summer with my family at the foot of a mountain that was related to my grandfather, running around the forest.

I spent the day drawing pictures of animals, expanding my imagination by watching the flowers I found that day and my grandfather's animal documentary video. Her favorite thing at the time was horses, and she would go to the zoo and have her ride on a lead horse many times to observe them.

My mother was a master of Japanese dance, and I learned it myself, but I didn't have the talent and didn't continue. on the other hand, I was fascinated by the design of hairpins and kimonos, and the colors of the Japanese style, which triggered my interest in traditional Japanese culture. This experience seems to have had some influence on my current sense of color.

By the time I entered junior high school, I wanted to go to an art university to study Japanese painting. I wanted to be able to draw that delicate and beautiful way.

"It would be wonderful if I could learn Japanese painting while living in Kyoto, which is full of traditional culture. Antiques, temples, shrines, townhouses and alleys. How wonderful it would be if I could learn in an environment surrounded by Japanese."

I was thinking of going to my hometown, Tokyo, but gradually I began to think about going to Kyoto. My parents strongly opposed my decision to go to Kyoto. A boycott of protest was carried out for several days. My parents broke up and I went to Kyoto. Immediately after entering university, I was free to draw what I wanted to draw. I often referred to Mucha's design style.

At one point, I became interested in classical paintings through a reproduction task of Choju Giga.

Around this time, I became aware of how to draw "lines". Gradually, I began to focus on how to draw outlines beautifully . I wanted to deepen my study of classical painting, so I decided to study copying in the specialized course. In addition to drawing techniques, I also deepened my insight into painting materials and tools. I often visited painting restoration sites and had the opportunity to learn about Southern Song painting. And once again, the awareness of "line" is strengthened.

In Japanese painting, the role of lines is one of the characteristics. In the case of Japanese painting,

In classical Japanese painting, the role of lines is one of the characteristics. For example, in the case of paintings in the Edo period, even in ukiyo-e and hand-drawn paintings, the subject is shaped by the strength and lightness of the lines (outlines) made with ink, so it differs from the three-dimensional expression of the West. In addition, by emphasizing the outline, the essence of the design is created and the look is tightened.

Recreating the "lines" was the hardest part for her, but it was also the most fun.

During my time in the specialized course, I came across the works of Kyosai Kawanabe.

“When I was a child, I brought back a severed head I found and hid it for sketching, but in the end my parents found it. Before returning it to its original place, he secretly sketched it.” I was fascinated by her pure feelings and attitude as a painter who simply wanted to observe her paintings.

He especially liked "Skull and Lizard" and "Jigoku Tayu and Ikkyu", and it seems that through copying these two works he developed a sensibility that is consistent with his current style of painting.

・Skull and lizard

I was fascinated by the detailed depiction of the lizard. The scales of the lizard are carefully drawn one by one along the flowing lines of the body, and you can feel the vividness of the lizard crawling around.

・Hell Tayu and Ikkyu

I fell in love with your sense of color at first sight. This work uses all colors such as red, blue, green, yellow, and gold, and is beautifully organized. In addition, Ikkyu and the skull are dancing behind Tayu, and the comical expression in the harshness is very typical of him.

She drew this work as her graduation project. The production period was carefully drawn over a year, and it was selected as an encouragement award.

While in school, she also experienced an internship at a long-established Japanese umbrella workshop in Kyoto. It was a long-term internship at the time, about half a year. I was allowed to design the handle of the umbrella, and it was also commercialized.

The most valuable experience was being able to work on the creation of a famous apparel designer's Paris collection. I participated in the work of converting design drawings into production drawings for the production of a dress that incorporates the structure of a Japanese umbrella. In the end, I was able to accompany him to the Paris Collection as one of the members. I was deeply moved when I saw the final product with the help of many people, including myself.

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to get a job after graduation. I got a job that was deeply related to Japanese culture, such as a shrine maiden (shrine maiden) and an art university staff member, but I was so busy with work that I honestly didn't have the time to paint. It is said that he was able to become rich as a human being by working with various people.

However, painting still requires a lot of time. Little by little, but surely, the desire to paint was growing.

The turning point came after getting married.

The opportunity came to me to carry out the plan I had planned with my husband, "Unemployed as a married couple." As a break in our lives, it's about three months of "non-work time" for both of us.

I was able to pick up the brush properly after a long time, but the trouble was that I didn't know what to draw. I imitated Kyosai and forced him to draw a skull and other things, but something was wrong. I have a desire to draw, but I don't know what I want to draw. The distorted pride that was built up inside of me was also getting in the way. “I studied at an art university and somehow managed to stay within my favorite field of work. I should have grown as a person, so I have to be able to draw something amazing! For some reason I thought so. My drawing ability was also considerably degraded.

So, I decided to go on a trip to France for about two weeks. When I arrived in France, it was in the middle of a strike and transportation was out of order. I used my ingenuity and managed to get to my destination by arranging a plane instead of the planned land route. I gave up on the Louvre as soon as there was a line of complaints, and spent a surprisingly fulfilling time, such as hooking up with mulled wine and switching to art supply stores around the city.

(The Grande Galerie de l'Évolution)

The two weeks were full of other troubles, but as I overcame them and spent every day on the trip, I suddenly thought, ``The world is so big, and my troubles are so small compared to it. I was. The self-confidence of overcoming one problem after another in a foreign country where I didn't know anything and having a good time washed away something that was clinging to my own world of drawing.

After returning to Japan, I decided to draw a cat of my parents' house.

As time went by, I began to imagine things like, ``What if I draw flowers around it?

Like when I was a kid, I watched animal documentaries, researched things at the zoo, and doodled a lot of my favorite animals. It was a lot of fun and reminded me of the joy of painting.

Gradually, what I wanted to draw came to mind, and I started creating works. Now, I also draw the spotlight on animals, plants, and birds, and draw what I want to draw. Don't forget to look back on your school days and be particular about making "lines" look beautiful. As the number of works increases, I naturally try to make works that feel "Japanese style" and "old things" while making use of what I have learned, such as composition and color scheme.

I feel that drawing is like a battle with myself. As soon as it's completed, I feel frustrated that I want to do more next time, or that I should have done this.

It can be said that it is a battle with insatiable obsession, but I am facing it with the belief that this is what makes the work "my own, my own" work.

I will continue to respect the old artists and their works, and one day I will say, 'Oh, this is that person! I want to draw works so that you can think.

2022年 第29回全国サムホール公募展 奨励賞
2023年コピックアワード2023準グランプリ受賞
2023年〜デザイン着物メーカーへの帯図案提供(2023〜)

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