ART LIVES TORIDE Where Art Is Born

I have been drawing pictures ever since I can remember, and I think I was making picture books when I was in kindergarten. I went on to an art college in my hometown, Kyoto. There I made my first oil paintings.

I came to Toride to study at the department of Intermedia Art. I couldn’t go to school because of the Corona disaster, and when I was thinking that it was too small to work at home, I found out about this shared studio. Now I am using it both at the university and here while creating.

I have been interested in the human body since college. It all started when I saw the work of a painter named Cecily Brown. She painted sexual scenes from a woman’s point of view. I wanted to express myself in this way, and that was probably the main reason.
Because I try to draw the body, I tend to use a lot of pink and red. Some people say they are cute colors, but for me, I use them as the color of flesh.

The most important thing for me is what physical sensations I remember when I paint. The texture of paint is half liquid and half solid. When I use a brush, I feel the resistance of the support, such as paper. How smooth should I make it, and with what kind of strokes should I paint? I feel the sensation between the paint and my body.

The motif of the large painting hanging on the wall is a person fiddling with her hair. I painted it by hand because it was too small to use a brush. I was conscious of the layers in this painting. I was aware of the different textures and colors while painting.

In 2020, I had the opportunity to do a workshop at an elementary school. I gave them the experience of drawing by touch, just like I do. I was nervous, but it was a lot of fun.
I am thinking of getting away from painting for a bit, I guess. I know that painting is the easiest medium for me to express myself, but I am feeling a little limited in my ability to paint alone. If I continue to do this, I will only be able to produce the same kind of work, so I thought it would be better to do something else in order to improve myself. .

I still hesitate over my future, but I think I will continue to paint pictures for a long time.