Location: Japan
Aya Shimohara spent her childhood drawing a picture on a daily basis.
She felt a joy to be obtained non-realistic sense by drawing the world of fancy and her ideal.
That feeling is important for her even now.
She grew up and thought that she draws a picture is a matter of course.
She went to the design department of Kyoto Saga University of arts and majored in Visual design.
However she felt the limitations in field of design including the poplar appeal and commercial properties. The product acceptable to the masses is better than the artwork in the field of design.
So she in orders to express her originality and gave to herself up to make the work is not a curriculum.
She explored their own style to try a variety of media such as acrylic, pastel, watercolors, Japanese natural mineral pigment, pencil, and CG. She found a style that give depth to overlap the pencil, pastel, and watercolors in turn.
In addiction, she read in favor of old belles-letters of Japanese.
She found the answer to own art from passage of “Three-Cornered World” of Soseki Natsume.
“There is no escape from this world. If, therefore, you find life hard, there is nothing to be done but settle yourself as comfortably as you can during the unpleasant times, although you may only succeed in this for short periods, and thus make life’s brief span bearable. It is here that the vocation of the artist comes into being, and here that the painter receives his diving commission Thank heaven for all those who in devious ways by their art, bring tranquility to the world, and enrich men’s hearts. ”
Reality is not just fun. There is a painful thing and sad thing.
She thinks Art is something that can make forget a reality a few times.
Even if, It’s fictional world.
She would like to invite the people to appreciate her picture to non-reality even in moments as many artists she had an impact in childhood and her favorite music and theater has invited her to the non-reality.
She was particularly influenced by the work of Gustav Klimt.
She fascinated to look that was ecstatic women, beautiful decoration of patterns, colors and gold leaf shine of the Klimt draw and was invited to elation.
Women she draws also have a vacant look. Her work makes the people to appreciate her picture feel like to trip.
Characteristic of her work is not only that.
She draws women also combines elements that feel masculine, such as even “strength” and “grittiness” while maintaining the elements that feel feminine, such as “beauty” “delicacy” and “pomp”.
In addiction, her work has a dark is also feeling duality.
Fictionally world is only fleeting dream has a reality immediately behind.
Such sadness and emptiness and strength that is not visible on the surface that women have are hidden become a dark essence to her work.