Inspiration: Green Green Green

My mother passed away on May 6.  I had been taking care of her since last November and time has passed so quickly.  Now I miss her a lot.  

I thought that taking care of a parent was so tough, but I enjoyed spending time with her.  We celebrated New Year, her birthday, snowing, gardening, cherry blossom viewing, cooking, and so on.  I had not lived with her for so long so spending time with her was one of the precious memories of mine in my life.  

She had been strong and never cried, so I had been even encouraged and empowered by her.  I don't think I can be strong like her all the time.

She lived naturally and was gone peacefully just like cherry blossoms going.  But just like after cherry blossoms, there were a lot of greens around at the time she left.  As if she was telling us that she would be with us all the time.  I believe green is the symbol of life.  Even though she left from this planet, I choose to believe her spirit or life will be forever.

I painted the painting below, inspired by my beloved mom.  She was also an artist.  I dedicate this work to my mom.

Title: Green Green Green, Acrylic and pastel on paper, 13"x18", Kikuko Sakota, May 22, 2014.

Tokyo Art Navigation

I have been featured as this week's artist at Tokyo Art Navigation.

The below is the artist introduction by Editorial Department of Tokyo Art Navigation.  I translated it by myself.

We would like to introduce Kikuko Sakota this week.

Colors, colors, colors, rapid streams of colors, spreading all over the picture planes.  Her works are quite impressive with vivid colors such as rose pink, royal blue, lemon yellow and others.  The motives depicted with acrylics and pastels are not representative but the “color” itself in which the painter give her images and impressions.  Her style looks very attractive based on the strong painting method of abstract expressionism with feminine, rich, and delicate aesthetic sense. 
At the first glance her works were painted spontaneously and freely, however, overall, her works are carefully composed with the consideration to the color, form and brushstroke deployment resulting in lively vibration and harmony.  Viewers will receive positive powers from her paintings, surrounded by rhythm and harmony of colors.  Her works give us joy of looking at paintings and make us feel the basics of luxuriance of paintings.  We hope she will share with us the wonderful world of colors.  (Editorial Department, Tokyo Art Navigation)

The link of Tokyo Art Navigation is below.

https://www.facebook.com/TanCompe

Natural Magic

I'm enchanted by the changes of seasons.  After the cold winter, plants are growing, and flowers are blooming.  I'm amazed by the speed and strength of budding.

Even you live in the city, nature is everywhere.  Just take a moment, and take a glance, you can notice miracles of nature.  It's like a magic.

Title: Magician, Acrylic and pastel on paper, 13"x18"  Kikuko Sakota Art

Borders: Mail Art Exhibition

I am going to join a mail art exhibition : Borders, in Strasbourg, France.  I made works very casually.  The theme is given as "borders".  It all depends on how artists interpret it.

In the beginning, I tried to depict, "love and hate".  I just recalled the lyrics going, "there's a thin line between love and hate".  But this is not my thing.  I often give my thought to time and space. 

So I chose the title, "Past and Future".  I am often advised to live in this moment, because I tend to fret about the future.  If you worry too much about the future, you cannot enjoy "now".  If you just think too much, the present moment becomes meaningless "past."  I should learn to live in this moment.

I used watercolor, pencil and paper.

Cherry Trees

I took a walk along the river side.  There are a range of cherry trees at the both sides of the river.  Now cherry blossoms are in their full bloom.  It's spring.

The cherry blossoms live short and vulnerable to the rain. When they die, they don't die on the branches slowly but quickly thier flower petals leave from the branches.  So we try to capture its blooming while thier are in bloom before dying.

Also waiting for the blooming of  cherry blossoms gives us hope while we are cold winter season.  But we forget about them once flowers are gone.

I wonder how old this tree is.  Cherry trees definately live longer than us.  I wonder, if trees had sprits, whether they are wathing our human behaviors.

Group Show

I'm going to participate in an art festival at O Arg Museum in Tokyo from April 5 to April 9.

Hope you will join us.

Jazz and Painting

I like the spontaneity and ad lib of jazz.  They are unpredictable. 

The painting below is the one that I attempted to depict jazz music.  I tried to depict its spontaneity with the movement and directons of brushstrokes.

Installtions of Paintings And A 3D Work

I've just found a DVD featuring a group show 3 years ago, and I uploade in the link below.

https://kikukosakota.squarespace.com/new-gallery-3/2014/3/17/pou-group-show-2010

(This video focuses on my works in the latter half portion) 

It was the first experience to join the show to individually exhibit one's own works in the given spacious booth with high walls in the museum, 9m high, if my memory is right.  Also we had to put a 3 D work in place.

I was inspired by cards on the table so that I arranged paintings in 2 levels.  The flower petals of each work direct up and down and left and right.  Can you recognize it?

An object was made with cloths.  I sewed it and stuffed cottons in it.  It can work as a cushion.

Spring Song

During an interview, I was asked if I have something in mind, when I paint paintings.  Yes.

Occasionally, I paint spontaneously without any ideas, but in that case I often fail.  I can look into the picture plane to see what is required in its space.  But anyway , basically I try to clarify the image of painting in mind.

The painting below is titled Spring Song, 13"x18", Acrylic and pastel on canvas.

From the beginning, I decided to use wet yellow-green and pink with soft brushstroke to depict a quiet and delicate spring song. 

Skype Interview

Katie Adler invited me as an artist guest to her program over skype.

She was a great modelator so I could speak about myself very well. 

I thought I was the last person to be interviewed, but I realized there were a lot to share with audience. 

Thank you Katie and listeners.

Embed Block

Add an embed URL or code. Learn more

Art Show Proposal

Now I am racking my brain to write a proposal.  I looked into several blogs and I learned a little bit about how to write it.

Simply put, I need to convince gallery owners to show my art, so first I need to realize the significance of my works and what I can offer to my audience.  Also I look for how my art is different from others'.???

In its process, I describe the idea of my possible art show in general, and illustrate a few example works with images.  

When I finish it, on the following day, I will read it again.

Cherry Blossoms

Before spring I sometime paint cherry blossoms, which telling us the coming of spring.

The painting below was painted in 2008.  I wasn't aiming at painting an abstract painting, but I tried to depict masses of flowers, branches, and its trunk reflecting the sun against the sky.   I wanted to be unique in expression, because the theme of cherry blossoms is somewhat cliche, so I wanted to be very different.  From this time I have started to focus on the directions,strength, and use of brushstrokes and pastels.

Sakura, Acrylic and pastel on canvas, 2008, 21"x18", Kikuko Sakota Art, http://www.kikukosakota.com/

New Page

I added a new page in this website, Fine Art America Kikuko Sakota Page, which is a link for the online sales for my paintings.

I have just post only 5 paintings.  But if you are interested in some other works, please let me know through email: kikuko@nexyzbb.ne.jp.  Or through Contact page in this site.

Blog Everyday

English is my second foreign language so I really appreciate for readers' patience. 

I just recall an art consultant suggested that we should blog everyday to be a good blogger.

Again I used paper but this time I painted a bit seriously rather than casually.  Well I tried to be casual but I was into it and even struggled to finish it.

I painted my feelings.  Very straightforward.  I want to fly like a bird.  Or I want to hold the sky opening my arms.

Title: Wish I Were A Bird, Acrylic, pencil and pastel on paper, 18"x21", Kikuko Sakota

Kikuko Sakota Art http://www.kikukosakota.com/

Online Sales

I am a Facebook user.  It's fun to know new people and know how familiar people are doing.

Also I enjoy many works of the art groups I have joined.  Yesterday as soon as I uploaded one of my work, Coming Soon in the one site, one of my friends just emailed me if it is for sales.

I uploaded that work to one onlie sales site and its print was sold soon.  My intuition "Coming Soon" worked? 

Please check out the link below.

Intuition

I  use canvases for painting almost all the time.  I use paper when I paint or draw casually just like keeping a diary.  Frankly, I prefer canvases, because I can push brushes hard.

Today it's March 1 and I can feel the beginnin of spring.  And I feel excited and I know something new is coming soon.   

Title: Coming Soon, Acrylic and pastel on canvas 21"x18" Kikuko Sakota, 2014,

Kikuko Sakota Art http://www.kikukosakota.com/

Online Sales

I heard that recently online art sales have grown rapidly.  I'm a bit conservative person, so I have been inquisitive about the use of online for selling art and presenting art. 

But in addition to brick and mortar galleries where  you receive face-to-face reaction of viewers, the online is a good tool to share your art more rapidly and widely.  Also you can sell prints and cards more conveniently. 

So I tried one site.

Work in Process: Day 4 (Completion)

After the distraction this week, I concentrated on working today.  There had been  more movement and conflicts in primary colors on the picture plane where I had stopped on the previous day. .  I had wanted to paint "Will power" but I found myself indecisive so I changed my mind and followed my heart.

I think there are two sides in a person; strong and weak.  I guess the weak and indecisive side of me was dominant today.

Title: Girl, Acrylic and pastel on canvas, 18"x21" http://www.kikukosakota.com/

Work in Process: Day 3

I starded with mostly light green and then painted it to pastel colors.  But now it came out like below. In the last week I have been distracted but am I full of energy?

Building I like

On the way to work,  I saw a beautiful building in Kobe City.  I just can remember I stayed in this hotel a few times before.  If my memory is right, the interior of one of rooms was just like a room of the ship.