Associate member of Nikikai, member of the Japan Artists Association, and Kyushu University Art Association
Although he graduated from the Department of Geology, Faculty of Science, he has loved drawing since he was a child and has been self-taught to create paintings.
It is centered on the relationship between humans and the earth and space.
Obara Hidetaka was born in Fukuoka City in 1964 to her father, a professor at the Faculty of Science at Kyushu University, and her mother, who ran a small library as a volunteer, in an environment rich in academia and art. Shortly after the war, her grandmother was active as a rare female painter at the time, and Hidetaka said that she had accompanied her on art galleries since she couldn't remember. He became familiar with art through club activities since elementary school, and in the high school art club, he was thoroughly taught the basics of drawing by his advisor.
When taking university entrance exams, you are forced to choose whether to pursue a career in science or art. After hesitation, he chose the path of science and went on to the Department of Geology, Faculty of Science, Kyushu University, the same as his father. However, his love for painting never cooled. While serving as the head of the art department at the university, he expanded his activities to include the Fukuoka Art Federation and the Kyushu Cultural Federation. He was interested in acrylic paints, which began to spread at the time, and taught himself realistic pictorial expression, sometimes discussing with his friends. From that time on, he began to use "earth" and "space" as the subjects of his paintings. At that time, the "Nagaoka Hidesei Exhibition" held in his hometown and the nationwide "science fiction boom" were also a great stimulus for him.
He later taught geology at private junior high and high schools, but when his mentor in college held a solo exhibition, he recommended a solo exhibition, and he continued to exhibit solo exhibitions in his hometown of Fukuoka. His paintings are mainly realistic, but they are somewhat fantastic and contain messages. It is somehow connected to love for the earth, love for the universe, and love for people. An art supply store who was familiar with his painting style recommended "Nikikai", and the place of activity moved to the Nikikai's Niki exhibition.
In March 2011, as a geology teacher, he was shocked by the Great Tohoku Earthquake and began to cover the theme of "natural disasters and prayer" while conducting on-site interviews. After that, he made works by covering various places such as the torrential rains in northern Kyushu and the Kumamoto earthquake, and also covered the coronavirus and the Ukraine crisis. He was particular about realism and used tracing paper and projectors to create sketches, but now he uses 3D software called DAZ3D and invests more than 1 million yen in its production along with a giant printer. He has arrived at a unique method of creating a completely 3D painting landscape in a computer, transferring it to a canvas, and coloring it with acrylic and oil paints.
His interest has now shifted to global environmental issues, including climate change. It is likely that we will hear voices saying that it is not a case of war between mankind even though the earth is about to collapse. He has created a room in 3D that imitates Vermeer's beloved small room, and while paying homage to his paintings, he is trying to make each theme of the SDGs into a work of art.
Recently, he has been selected for the Shigeru Aoki Memorial Grand Prize Exhibition, won the Encouragement Award at the Niki Exhibition and the Kyushu Niki Exhibition, and was nominated as an associate member of the Nikikai. In addition, he is about to establish his own workshop and start full-fledged activities. As long as he loves the earth and the universe, his creative activities will not stop.
Link to
Kobohide Homepage https://art00kobohide.com/
X (Twitter) https://x.com/Yomogi83837348
OpenSea（NFT） https://opensea.io/ja/ObaraHidetaka
Instagram https://www.instagram.com/hidetakaobara/
facebook https://www.facebook.com/hidetaka.obara.33
