InterviewFeatured Artist

Watercolor
Mikio Kobayashi
Profile
Mikio Kobayashi has been familiar with painting since he was a child, and has continued to choose his environment by believing in his talent. After leaving his stable job, he gained experience in the field of design and pursued expression even after becoming independent. Currently, he focuses on watercolor paintings, depicting people's memories and emotions with soft and warm works. It carefully scoops up irreplaceable moments in everyday life and spreads its value both domestically and internationally.
Please tell us how you started drawing.

When I was in junior high school, I was taught oil painting in an art class. I was attracted by the fun of it, and I started painting oil paintings as a hobby in the third year of junior high school, copying various subjects. For example, he copied works by Renoir and Degas that appeared in newspaper inserts, and spent several months painting the Mona Lisa.

I wanted to get a job related to painting and design, but after graduating from high school, I started working in the general affairs department of a major telecommunications equipment manufacturer, working in human resources and employment-related work. However, I decided to change jobs because I felt uncomfortable about the future. At that time, I had no experience in design, but I started with the creation of prints, and acquired various skills from photo typesetting work, caricature production, and design. After that, he became independent and established a design company.

「 2匹の犬」 作：Mikio Kobayashi
Please tell us why you have continued to create paintings.

Even after getting a job, my desire to draw did not disappear, and I continued to create as a hobby. Even though I was in a stable environment, I didn't want to lose sight of the path I really wanted to take.

As a result, I believe in the talent of drawing and have gradually moved towards an environment where I can make use of it. The experience of continuing to express myself while working in parallel has led to my current work.

Please tell us how you started watercolor painting

Even after establishing a design company, he continued to paint in oil, but he distanced himself from it once when he got married. After all, oil paintings were accompanied by smells and dirt, making it difficult to balance them with the living environment. After watching a watercolor TV show, I was attracted to beautiful watercolors that didn't bother me with dirt or smell, and I started creating watercolors in earnest in 2019.

Please tell us what you value in creating your work.

We are particular about how we use color. Basically, I draw while mixing three colors: cobalt blue hue, yellow ochre, and rose mudder.

Sometimes I add slightly lighter colors such as vermillion hue or opera to portraits, and brighter colors such as permanent green for landscape paintings. I don't mean to limit the colors, but it felt good when I drew them in these three colors. Since then, I have been drawing in three basic colors, and I think that has allowed me to express a soft and calm tone.

"It's cold." Written by: Mikio Kobayashi
Please tell us about the work that left an impression on you.

The work that left a particularly strong impression on me was the work depicting my daughters from more than 20 years ago. When I was looking for a childhood photo for a profile movie in preparation for my wedding, I came up with a nostalgic photo.

There were so many photos taken at a nearby temple, photos of eating snow at a ski resort, photos of playing on the slide at the entrance ceremony, photos of grabbing rainbow trout, etc., and it seemed to bring back those days. My daughters are now married and away from home, so I looked back on the past and finished the painting based on those photos. I think it's a good workmanship.

"Summary of portraits drawn"
Is there any motivation or consciousness in drawing?

I don't have much special motivation or consciousness, and I am purely driven by the feeling that "drawing is fun". Of course, I am happy when the concept I envisioned takes shape, and sometimes it doesn't go well, but I enjoy the production itself, including such trial and error.

Also, the joy of coloring from the image that it would be beautiful if this was made into a picture and actually finishing it as imagined is extraordinary. Basically, I rarely feel painful while drawing.

I sometimes feel a little depressed when my social media followers decrease, but more than that, I am happy if people who see my work feel at ease and healing.

Please tell us about your future prospects.

It is a very happy moment as an artist to be happy that the client is happy that the work you have drawn after receiving a request is "wonderful" or "I really liked it". I also have experience of my work being used on a German wine label, and I am happy that my work is spreading in various forms.

In the future, I would like to focus on landscape painting in addition to portrait painting. I am still not good at landscape painting, but I hope to gradually expand the range of expression by repeating the number of times I draw while being aware of the composition, angle of view, and use of color.

Driven by the pure joy of drawing, he has continued to pursue expression. The soft worldview created from limited colors brings peace and warmth to the viewer. While expanding his reputation both domestically and internationally, his attitude is to consistently "enjoy drawing itself". In the future, he will also try his hand at landscape painting, and is expected to further expand his expression.

Interview: 2024/03/18