InterviewFeatured Artist

Japanese painting
Hachi no Tasho
Profile
Mr. Hachino grew up in an environment where his grandfather was a painter and his father was a designer, and he naturally entered the world of plastic expression. After working at an advertising production company, he realized his desire for expression in his face with his family. We will approach his thoughts on how to express abundance and life through color.
Please tell us what made you want to become a writer.

My grandfather was a painter and my father was a designer, so it was common for me to draw and make things out of scrap wood from a young age. When I was in the third year of junior high school, I asked my father what he wanted to be in the future. I was asked, and naturally I replied that I was the same designer as my father. After that, I attended a preparatory school and a vocational school to become a designer, and became immersed in the world of plastic expression.

At first, things didn't go as I wanted, and I was frustrated and frustrated, but one day that frustration turned into fun. I was particularly obsessed with the charm of color expression.

 

「OMNIVERSE」 Written by: Tasho Hachino
What inspired you to create paintings like today?

I am still working independently in the design industry, but after about 10 years of experience working mainly with photographic visuals at an advertising production company, I began to enjoy that job but also had some kind of dilemma. Design is an expression for the customer, so to speak, but apart from that, I vaguely felt that there was an expression within me that I wanted to do.

And I think the main reason why I started to publish works like now was the change in my family environment. I have three children, but when I found out that my second child had a disability, I looked back on my life and thought about my future life. Until then, I had been working from morning to night because of the industry, but I asked myself if I had to continue to work that way even if I looked down on my family.

Also, when I thought about whether I could continue my current lifestyle and leave something for my children, I was convinced that there was still a desire for expression that remained within me.

 

Please tell us about the central theme of your work, "The Iran of Life".

I have had several solo exhibitions so far, and the theme of all of them is life. The word "life" is a word I came up with with the image of being alive, love for living things, living happily, and abundance.

The original experience dates back to when I was a preparatory school student. Since then, I have been obsessed with color expression, especially when I am drawing natural objects such as living creatures and plants. It's not necessarily the color as it is, but when you try your best to express it, you can see a completely different color from the object and be moved.

In addition to color, for example, when I look at barnacles that grow on the back and body surface of whales, it looks like outer space, and I think it's interesting to feel the macro in the micro. That's how I think richness is, and I want to express it on the screen by being moved by something and feeling happy to be alive.

 

What kind of art materials do you use?

I draw by combining various art materials. These include rock paints used in Japanese paintings, pigments that are the coloring components of paints, acrylic paints, mediums, and gold and silver leaf. I also do the support from the point of making a wooden frame, and then lay canvas and cheesecloth on top of it.

I choose art materials so that they can be redone during the production process. Originally, I think that Japanese painting is a one-shot art material, unlike oil painting, but I think it suits my nature to draw through trial and error.

The reason I use gold leaf is because I am Japanese, so I wanted to give it a Japanese impression. In some works, gold leaf is used as a ground, and white cloud-like shapes appear there. Therefore, the gold that appears as the color of the ground in the gaps in the shape of clouds may look like the glitter that is common in illustration expressions, giving it a slightly pop impression. It is not a definitive expression, but is deliberately ambiguous.

"Whale No. 12" Written by: Tasho Hachino
Do you have any works that you have a strong attachment to?

Is it a "whale" and a "sunbathing" depicting a hippopotamus? Both are large-scale works of size 100 and became the face of a solo exhibition, but I feel that this is a turning point, as if my work has developed further. After these works, I began to place the most importance on the expression of colors that match the motif and the expression that comes from the image.

In addition, people who saw these works commented that their obsession with the eyes was amazing. This is a part that I noticed when I was told, but now I am even more particular about the expression of my eyes so that I can get on the emotions of living beings.

"Bask in the sun" Written by: Tasho Hachino
Please tell us about your future prospects.

I want to create works in a different medium based on the world I express as a painting. For example, giclee, printed works on cloth, animation, expressing works with sound and words. This is also where I can make use of the experience I have cultivated as a designer. I imagine that a group of works expressed in various media can create a single exhibition space. I would like to explore ways to express myself so that people can understand more deeply what I want to express.

Under the theme of life, Mr. Hachino continues to depict pure emotions for color. While utilizing his experience as a designer, he wants people to better understand his expression in various media such as animation and sound, and we look forward to seeing what kind of world he will open up in the future.

Interview: 2024/12/15