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Artist 松井秀一 Matsui Hideichi

松井秀一
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WORKS INTERVIEW EXHIBITIONS

INTERVIEWInterview

Shuichi Matsui

The concept is "a picture that makes the other person happy"

"When I was 18 years and 10 months old, I broke my neck bone in a car accident. He started his art activities in 2020. A listener who was doing a live streaming activity on SNS and saw a picture of a wheelchair basketball that he had set as an icon for his account said, "Why don't you draw a picture?" At first, I printed the outline I drew on my computer and drew it in the form of coloring it with watercolor. But gradually, I thought, "This way of drawing is a little bland. If I were to hold a solo exhibition in the future, I would like to paint a full-fledged picture worthy of a frame," so I started painting on canvas with acrylic paints in 2022. Since I can't move my hands freely, I fix them with a brush with clothespins when I draw, and ask my parents to help me when I take out the paint."  
Shuichi Matsui speaks in a calm but hearty Toyama dialect. He is a sportsman who devoted himself to baseball until high school, and even after being disabled in an accident, he still belongs to the Toyama Prefecture team of wheelchair twin basketball and works as a team representative. In addition, he is also a personality of Okinawa FM called "Okiraji", and is working hard with three pairs of straw sandals. Mr. Matsui, who is so active, seems to value "making the other person happy" when painting.  
"I often receive requests from listeners to draw pictures like this, and I am grateful that the other person is happy or says that they are happy. At first, I was trying my best to make a living from the art industry, but gradually I changed to want to draw pictures that would please the people who looked at me. Actually, I'm not very good at portraits, but when asked, I do my best to write."

Attract good luck with a positive mindset

"Until now, I was working as a sole proprietor, but recently I decided to join a staffing company. In October of this year, I was able to exhibit five of my works at an exhibition held at Carnegie Hall in New York, USA. It was also triggered by a recommendation from a fellow artist I met through live streaming activities. I didn't go to the site because I entrusted it to him, but I was happy to receive a commemorative certificate for the exhibition and the listeners were happy to say 'congratulations.'"  
Mr. Matsui says that he gradually began to feel that his art business was sprouting, such as being able to paint while earning a stable monthly income by belonging to a company and exhibiting his own paintings in New York. At the company, he belongs to the human resources department and is able to work by drawing portraits of employees, making use of his talent for drawing. When I asked Mr. Matsui, who jumps in as soon as he has a chance and pushes forward in a positive direction, why he has that mindset, he answered cheerfully again.  
"I often say positive and negative, but if you live your life thinking about negative things, you will only be bad, and if you think about positive things, you will only be good. I think there is a law of attraction, so I only think about positive things. However, I think that there are still bad things that cannot be avoided. Still, there are good things because there are bad things, so I try to think, 'I'm glad this is over.'"

The goal is regional revitalization! Employment of people with disabilities is also in sight

"I'm good at drawing landscapes, but my favorite is the painting of 'Mt. Fuji'. I have almost died in an accident, and I feel that there is some overlap with my roots. I would like to continue drawing pictures of Mt. Fuji with the desire to "get my business on track and liven up the region through paintings."  
As for the future, he laughed heartily and said, "If you don't make it happen, you'll be a liar," and set a number of wonderful goals.  
"I would like to open a store in Okinawa because of my connection with 'Okiraji', and I also want to focus on Japan paintings that foreigners like for inbound tourism. There are many things I want to do. In addition, Toyama Prefecture, where I live now, has a tourist destination called "Tonami Tulip Park" that is visited by people from all over the country, and the "Tsuzawa Yataka Andon Festival" is held. Across from my house, there is a warehouse of a lumber shop, which is a family business, and the warehouse is located in a position that can be seen from the highway and national highway. So, by painting my own picture on the exterior wall, I thought, "What is this?" I hope that it will lead to attracting customers to the family business and my own solo exhibition, and I would be even happier if it would lead to the revitalization of the region. I am able to be active, but there are many people with disabilities around me who can move normally but cannot find a place to work. I also think that I can grow my business and hire such people as well. To do that, you must first become famous. I want to continue to do what I can until I die."