My mother has been painting oil paintings ever since I can remember. Simply painting on canvas was not enough for her; she graced our living room walls and the sliding doors of our bedrooms with her depictions of nature. Perhaps because I was raised in such an environment, I took up oil painting at the age of 18. Eight years ago I moved out of my parents’ home and came to Kyoto with a firm resolve to find out what I was capable of on my own. I wanted to make a new start. Even though I moved from Komatsu to Kyoto, I did not manage to sell my paintings, and led quite a miserable life. During my second year in Kyoto, in a period of searching for my own colors and subject matter, I came across moso bamboo. “This is it!” I thought. Even though I had never been particularly impressed by bamboo forests, at that time my feelings and the aspect of the bamboo were in perfect harmony; the bamboo seized my spirit and wouldn’t let go. The thick, strong moso bamboo of a lush green grows straight up to the
sky. It was on that day that my craze for bamboo began. I sought and painted
the spirit of bamboo, the voice of bamboo, its smell, color and balance,
and constantly enjoyed physical contact and conversation with it. In
due course I was awarded the prize of the Chunichi Women’s Art
Exhibition four years in a row. I was also accepted to and won prizes
at exhibitions both in Japan and abroad, and held regular yearly solo
exhibitions. During this time I gradually began to receive more orders
for my bamboo paintings. In my case, since I sold my paintings to make
a living, each time I received an order I did my best to paint a bamboo
painting that would please my client. |
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