"Originally, I worked as a contemporary dancer and learned mindfulness while working as an advisor to a company, and then I found a way of expression called painting.
Mindfulness is a training that allows you to see things as they are and return to your center by "putting aside value judgments and savoring the present moment" through meditation. It cultivates the ability to become aware of one's inner self and the essence of things, without being bound by fixed concepts or the evaluations of others. It has already spread to large companies and compulsory education in Europe and the United States, and I was thinking that it could be incorporated into education in Japan.
However, mindfulness is all about practice. Sometimes it is difficult to convey in words. While searching for a way every day, one day I drew a rough sketch with a pencil and made a picture play. When my teacher saw this, he said, "You have an excellent ability to express something through painting," which is why I entered the art industry."
After that, SAHO set himself to draw one piece of work every day. A further turning point was his encounter with colored pencils from Faberkastel, a long-established German manufacturer.
"My father used to be a painter. So I had some old art supplies lying around at home, and by chance I found a 72-color set of colored pencils that my father used 40 years ago. It may be moldy in a humid living environment in the Japan...... When I tried using it right away, I was impressed by the really beautiful coloring.
I tried to contact Fabercastel to convey my excitement, but the company happened to be looking for an ambassador. It took a lot of courage, but I was nervous, so I called and ran for ambassador, and because of that, I was able to draw a poster for the company's 260th anniversary."
Thanks to these encounters, SAHO devoted himself more to his art career and expanded his activities as a professional artist.
InterviewFeatured Artist
"'Butterfly' is one of the works that I feel pushed up as an artist, weaving various stories into the pattern of butterfly wings, and secretly hiding hidden characters and the words 'FABER CASTELL'. I finished the work so that the viewer can enjoy various discoveries in the painting.
In addition, we use only primary colors as much as possible to express the good color development of Faber-Castell colored pencils. It was the first large-scale work I drew at the time, so it is a work that I have a strong attachment to."
SAHO will hold a web solo exhibition "Resonance Magic" on Art.jp Japan Bridge from November 16th ~ 30th. The keyword "resonance" in the title is something that SAHO always values when creating his works.
"Even before I became an artist, I felt a sense of wonder, so to speak, as if I could find and resonate with nature. After you start painting, there is always a cycle of incorporating that feeling that resonates with nature into your painting through your own filter, just like the rhythm of your breathing.
In the past, I thought it would be nice if someone could be healed by such paintings, but recently I feel that I am the most healed when I draw. I have a sense of being "drawn" according to a message from nature, and I realized that this process is the "healing" that allows me to return to my original pure self."
In the solo exhibition, he plans to exhibit about 10 works, including this year's award-winning "Resonance" series and new works. Along with each work, they will also present tanka poems and challenge different ways of expression.
"I'm not conscious of changing my style, but when I look back at my work, I feel that it's very different from the early days. I guess I'm giving my best at that time. I am still studying to obtain an international qualification in mindfulness, and the learning and awareness I gained there may be reflected in my work.
Every time I draw a work, I feel burned out. It's not the negative of "I'm tired", but the satisfaction of "I've done it now" and the joy of being able to harmonize with the subject."
SAHO accepts his own changes and enriches the world view of his works. We also asked him about his goals for future artist activities.
"I hope that my paintings will be a tool for people to feel at ease, to feel connected to the natural world, and to see themselves as they are. To do that, I would like to try my hand at various fields such as fashion design and airplane wrapping illustration, as well as painting on canvas."
In addition, SAHO, who originally came to pictorial expression as a means of spreading mindfulness to educational settings, is also planning workshops in the future.
"I am thinking of holding a workshop where participants can bring out their own sense of wonder. Rather than "drawing well", I would like to value the "sensitivity" to draw what moved you by touching nature. I personally feel that the sense cultivated in the process of painting enriches the rest of my life, as if the colors of the paint blend in.
I would be very happy if my work and workshops could inspire many people's sense of wonder."