When I was 46 years old, when I tried to paint with my daughter's paints, I remembered that I wanted to be a painter when I was young. I had decided on an art university, but due to circumstances, I gave up and then the thought that I had sealed came back. I started working to aim for the path I had given up on once. Between dreams and reality, I am trying to paint a picture that seems to be real, but dream-like.
[Biography]
Born in 1973
・Born in Fukushima Prefecture
【Exhibition】
・BUNGEI ART MUSEUM vol. 2
・The 3rd ART Market in Odaiba
・The 4th ART Market in Kyoto
・Winter Art Exhibition 2022
・The square
INTERVIEWInterview
Ball
When did you start drawing?
I've loved drawing since I was little, and I did it as a hobby with pencils and colored pencils. When I was in high school, I first experienced oil painting in art class and thought how much fun it was. I think the nature of being able to repaint as many times as you like before the paint hardened suited me. Because of that, I once considered pursuing a career in art, but for various reasons, I gave up once. After a long gap from there, I started drawing seriously at 46, six years ago.
Please tell us what prompted you to pick up a paintbrush again.
My daughter was assigned to do acrylic painting in her junior high school art class, and acrylic paints were spread out at home. When my daughter was out, she suddenly had an idea and tried drawing with acrylic paint on a scrap of cardboard left nearby. Then I couldn't help but have so much fun. Even after a long gap, the old feeling remained, and I was able to keep brushing without hesitation.
After that, I gathered my own art supplies and started creating in earnest, uploading my works to Instagram. Thankfully, I started receiving regular requests to exhibit at exhibitions and appear in art magazines. Currently, I care for my parents at home, so although I draw in between, I can think about it the most when I'm drawing. So your motivation to draw never fades.
"Butterfly Dream"
Author: Tama
Please tell us about the motifs and themes of your works.
The motifs themselves aren't very consistent—people, animals, plants, Buddhist paintings—they're not very consistent. What I'm particular about is wanting to draw things that can't be captured in photos. I value a worldview that depicts things that exist in reality, but as a whole, they are not real. If you draw while looking at the actual object or photos, it rarely turns out like that, so in my case, I decide what I want to draw, search for images, and observe carefully for about 10 minutes. After that, all that's left is to output the image in your mind and proceed with the creation.
I always struggle quite a bit when deciding on a motif. Rather than special moments, you may often find inspiration from everyday moments like the sounds of the countryside, the scents of the seasons, or looking up at the moon in the night sky. There were times when I wondered if I should make what I draw more consistent.
However, in my case, I feel like I'll definitely get bored and won't be able to draw anymore. When starting production, it's not always when the image of the work is completely in mind before drawing; often, I just decide to draw this and add what I need later. I think it's because the desire to draw comes first. I am now convinced that painting what I want is my style.
How does the mysterious and fantastical worldview characteristic of your style come to be?
A common feature in many of my works is the black background, which I believe is one of the major elements that creates a mysterious and fantastical atmosphere. I use black as a base because it makes it easier to add depth and transparency than starting from a white canvas.
The art materials are acrylic and oil paint, and this smooth, pitch-black base is acrylic paint. I mentioned that I felt oil paint suited my own nature, and acrylic paints each have their own advantages, such as eliminating unevenness in oil painting, so I experiment and use them according to my purpose.
"Ancient Forest"
Author: Tama
Is there a particular work you feel especially attached to?
One is the work 'Ancient Forest,' which depicts a group of megaliths resembling Stonehenge against a starry sky with a giant moon floating in the sky. I have a special attachment to this because I was able to draw it exactly as I wished. I was inspired by the cover of a singer's album, but the moon was something I added later. I wondered if the moon looked like this from Earth's perspective in the past, as I drew it.
The other is a work called 'Gekkō Bosatsu,' which was exhibited at the 2024 Horyu-ji Art Festival. Since my family runs a temple, I occasionally paint Buddhist paintings. The theme of that year's Horyu-ji Art Festival was 'Cherishing Harmony,' and the Buddha depicted here has a sorrowful and painful expression. Personally, when I considered the meaning of depicting 'Precious with harmony' in this era, I honestly felt that the Buddha would never be pleased with this world. Conflicts never cease, and the gap between rich and poor does not narrow. I poured into my work the earnest feeling that just looking at the surface won't make the world better.
"Moonlight Bodhisattva"
Author: Tama
Please tell us about your future goals.
After all, I do have a dream of holding a solo exhibition. Since I was born and raised in Fukushima Prefecture, I hope to create a place in the countryside where people can freely see both inside and outside buildings. Animals, insects, people, and nature that we see in daily life. Or something that is not in this world. I want to display the paintings that were in those places indoors or outdoors—I'd like to try exhibiting them. I want to continue painting so that people can select and display works that suit the diverse scenes of each person's life.
Tama draws viewers in with a mysterious world created by the black base canvas, centered on drawing on what he wants. She says that her motivation to draw while balancing caregiving and art never fades, and expectations are high for her future activities as she continues toward her dream of a solo exhibition in the countryside that can be freely viewed both indoors and outdoors.