Statement

As a girl growing up in Japan, I found it’s hard to be creative, as the culture was very strict about following rules. We all had to conform, and being different was a problem. I’ll never forget when, in school one day, my teacher painted my hair black because it’s natural color wasn’t acceptable. 

Thus at a young age I came to America to be creative, and stayed. Ironically I’ve found that what Americans like most about my art comes directly from my culture. The Japanese believe that “just because you want to communicate doesn’t mean you should say everything out loud”. And despite my flight from Japan, it is this sentiment which still informs my artistic style.  I try to communicate emotion using a minimum of lines and shapes. I say only that which must be said, and nothing more. Though I’ve run far from Japan, perhaps I am still just writing Haiku.

My signature sculptures are tubular ‘beings’, minimal figures that appear to express their own emotions. Some tell a story, some make people smile; all are playful and  emotionally engaging. The textures and colors are contemporary, yet soft and warm.

I also create two-dimensional art. My most recent experiments have been very large prints of very small paintings. I let paint mix on a tiny surface, then digitize the microscopic textures and expand them into large, colorful compositions. These can then be printed on a variety of media including canvas, transparent film, and fabric.

All in all, my art offers quiet joy at a time when most of us are heavily burdened by stress.