Eiko Arisawa

In March 2011, the Great East Japan Earthquake occurred. I could not think of it as someone else's problem, and I thought, "If it were me, what kind of living proof would I have? I thought to myself, "If it were me, what proof of life would I have?
I have loved to paint since I was a child, but I d...

In March 2011, the Great East Japan Earthquake occurred. I could not think of it as someone else's problem, and I thought, "If it were me, what kind of living proof would I have? I thought to myself, "If it were me, what proof of life would I have?
I have loved to paint since I was a child, but I did not go on to specialize in painting, instead learning drawing and composition through my own sensibilities.
It has been about 10 years since I started painting in earnest.
The process of reflecting on canvas what I am moved by at any given time is a process of confronting myself.
I feel happy to be able to face myself while painting.

There is Ishikawa Zoo in Ishikawa Prefecture. There is a family of gibbon monkeys there.
Among them, the mother monkey "Sakura" has a very funny expression.
I wanted to draw it! I thought.
So, for the past few years, I have been drawing the family members of the proboscis monkeys as models, comparing them to myself.
I spend time thinking about faraway places and the imaginary landscapes I see through them.
In the middle of an endless road.
Anxiety, hope, dreams, expression of the heart, joy, sadness...
I believe that there is a view that can be seen from the inside of the heart.
Beyond the story that is created by confronting oneself, what does it mean to create a work of art?
I think about it while creating.
Painting is fun.
I would like to keep trying my best, experimenting with various methods of expression.