Kaeru Kawaruko

I, Kaerukawaruko, have been drawing an illustration essay "Yaguchi Shinbun" as my lifework, in which I draw my own experiences in a funny and positive way with ballpoint pen and colored pencil on A4 paper, and the total number of issues has reached 300. The major trigger for the creation of this i...

I, Kaerukawaruko, have been drawing an illustration essay "Yaguchi Shinbun" as my lifework, in which I draw my own experiences in a funny and positive way with ballpoint pen and colored pencil on A4 paper, and the total number of issues has reached 300. The major trigger for the creation of this illustrated essay was the Great East Japan Earthquake that occurred on March 11, 2011. My hometown, Tsuchiura City in Ibaraki Prefecture, was also severely damaged. My parents' house, Yaguchi Sake Brewery, a 170-year-old earthen storehouse that has been designated as a cultural asset by the prefecture, was damaged to the extent that it required extensive restoration. As a company employee, I was greatly shocked. I didn't want to die without doing what I wanted to do. In 2014, I quit the company I worked for and began attending illustrator Setsuko Tamura's illustration class. In this class, I learned the joy of drawing pictures, and in April 2015, "Yaguchi Shimbun" was born. Wanting to have many people see her drawings, she began to be active in her creative activities, holding solo and group exhibitions three times a year. In November 2020, he was selected for the 24th Taro Okamoto Award for Contemporary Art, and in July 2022, he held a once-in-a-lifetime solo exhibition at the Tsuchiura Shimin Gallery in his hometown. As an invited artist, I filled the gallery space of over 200 square meters with over 300 works. I would like to continue to send out my works with the energy of my overflowing passion.