When I am not creating, I am wandering in nature (or museums and galleries!).
I love to soak in nature - ocean, river, mountains and woodlands all year round. Nature is a source of solace, inspiration, adventure, and delight. I seek to catpture thier stories in my artwork and spead their quiet voices to rebalance human and nature relationships.
My first memory of the artwork I created was at a kindergarten. My favourite medium was oil pastels (well, they were the only medium given to children back then, so I didn't know others!). One day, my mother and I were on an outdoor drawing excursion organised by the kindergarten, and we sat in front of a Japanese garden in a local park. A pink picnic mat, a white sketchbook, colourful oil pastels and my mother's yellow egg rolls were on the green grass.
It was my first outdoor drawing experience, and I was overwhelmed with the sound of footsteps on gravel paths, people's conversations, the smell of sweet soy sauce from the food stalls nearby, tall trees and blooming flowers around me. My head was spinning, and I was stunned in front of the blank sketchbook. Then, my mother picked up the grey pastel, put it in my hand, and gently wrapped my hand with hers. My hand ran on the sketchbook with my mother's guide. I was fascinated with the movement of hands - they made a few lines, and then the shapes of rocks started appearing on the paper. My desire to draw was ignited, and I created the image of pine trees and rocks.
My creative journey began then.
I took up several oil painting classes while studying mechanical engineering degree at the university. I self-taught photography while working full-time as a consultant for a multinational company and took many photos on the streets and in nature in Japan. I often went to mountains and underwater (yes, I used to be an underwater photographer). Then, I moved to Australia, took up a couple of oil painting classes and continued with photography in my spare time, but my corporate work took over my life for a while.
I moved to London, UK, in 2015 and have visited many museums and galleries. I was excited by the ample opportunities to see and practice arts. So I attended some short courses - illustration, design, graphic design and jewellery making.
In 2018, I visited Klimt’s immersive art exhibition at The Atelier des Lumièresin, Paris, while on a business trip. I lost myself in Klimt's artwork - I was surrounded by his flower gardens and watched the golden tree grow. I was amazed at how art could be more entertaining by using technology. This experience triggered me to dive into XR art, and I have been experimenting with VR and AR artwork.
In 2022, the pandemic hit, so I started working from home. My commuting was swapped to drawing. I drew with pencil, pen, colour pencils, soft pastels etc. Then I thought about the Japanese calligraphy practice I took as a child and started using ink and brush for my drawing. When I made the first brush stroke on paper. I looked at the brush strokes, various tones and bleeding of ink on the paper. I felt something so familiar and warm. Since then, ink and brush are my favourite medium.
I am experimenting with mixing meduims, physical and virtual spaces and creating narratives to reconnect with innerself, humanity and nature through my artwork.
Presented on the national television
Channel 4 - Grayson's Art Club Series 3 Episode 4
The artwork is in GALLERY page
Received a certificate of artistic merit at Luxembourg Art Prize 2021
The artwork is in GALLERY page