MIYAZAKI Art Show

This is my new work "YAMAINU" (Wild Dog) for Hayao Miyazaki tribute group exhibition "MIYAZAKI Art Show". The show runs through Febrary 4 - 25th at the Spoke Art SF. Come enjoy my new work inspired by my favorite, Princess Mononoke!

Preview HERE

新作「山犬（Wild Dog)」を、宮崎駿監督のトリビュートグループ展のために描きました。展覧会は２月４日から２５日まで、サンフランシスコのSpork Artで開催されます。大好きな「もののけ姫」がテーマの新作を見に来てくださいね！

作品の詳細はこちら  

Instagram: instagram.com/yumikokayukawa/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/YUMIKO-KAYUKAWA-129916830358108/

EXTINCTION

I had an interview with Evelync Magazine from Indonesia for their 5th issue "Animal". English translation in below.

You can download Evelync Magazine issue #5 "Animal" from HERE.

インドネシアのEvelync Magazineから、動物への思いについて、インタビューを受けました。以下に英訳を表示します。

「動物」がテーマのEvelync Magazine 第５号は、こちらからダウンロードできます。 

"Extinction" 

English translation:

1. Before we go to the main point of this interview, would you please

introduce yourself and tell us a bit of what you've been doing

recently?

I was born and raised in Hokkaido, Japan. I grew up in a very small town, where population of about 6,000. I moved to Sapporo, the capitol of Hokkaido after high school to go to an art school. I started to show my artwork in the U.S. since 2001, and moved to Seattle since 2005. I am working for a gallery show in NY right now.

2. Would you please tell us how you got interested in digital illustration

for the first the first time and how was the beginning of your carrier

in this industry?

All my artwork is painted done with brushes with acrylic, not digital. That's only way I know how to paint. Painting and drawing is always my biggest passion since I was a little child. I was painting and drawing whole my life but I couldn't find a chance to introduce my work to the public in Japan. When I was late 20s, one of my friend from the U.S. suggested to try a gallery in the U.S. So I did and my painter's career started.

3. What inspires you the most?

My inspiration comes from every directions. I love animals, music and movies, good story of films or lyric of a song are always inspiration. And anything happens in my life or any word someone said. Politics, sports or martial art etc... the world is giving me ideas everyday. But recently, I am inspired more and more by animals and natures. 

4. How about your works which are very relatable with Japanese

culture, can you please explain it to us?

Well, I'm a Japanese :) This culture is in my blood. But I enjoy it more since I moved to the U.S., because I can see it more clearly from the outside. I keep discovering things I didn't see before. 

5. Would you please tell us about animals and women that are always

represented on your work?

One of the reasons is that animals and women are my favorite things to draw. Every animals is beautiful, it's always fun to work on their colors and details. Like many little girls with a passion to draw pretty girls or princesses, I was a girl like them and I still have that passion today. I always enjoy draw girls, many times with a fashion style that I love. But also, they are actually a symbol of my thoughts about the relationship between human and nature. Humans and nature always have a effect on each other, no matter where we live.  

6. What do you think about saving endangered animal efforts?

I have a strong feeling about this. Since we are a part of the nature, we have to try to find the way to share the world with animals. I am from Japan and live in the U.S. now. Both advanced nations are consumers of the world. There are many things here you can buy from all over the world. But here are many other countries that people have a narrow choice. Unfortunately some of them have to sell what they have to survive - nature and animals. It's really difficult to fix both situations. But "the buyers" responsibility is to know what is going on behind scenes and think about every purchase. Unfortunately, for some people it's a hobby to own wild animals as a pet. I am strongly against owning wild animals. Because they should live in wild, not in a cage. They have their jobs in nature, and nature needs them. They were created that way, not for human's company. Also I'm against killing animals for body parts. I'm even against any entertainment with wild animals, such as circus or zoo. If "the buyers" stop paying, "the sellers" will close theses business. It's the buyer's responsibility to respect nature. And to know there are things you shouldn't buy, even if you can. 

7. In your opinion, can a designer or a visual artist play a significant

role in saving ecosystem, such as saving endangered animals

species?

Absolutely. We can be their voice. Design and creation is our weapon. It won't happens in overnight, but the world will change little by litte. Nobody cared about ecosystem 50 years ago. Things are not going to stay same forever. I guess someone's life will not be completely the same even after reading this interview. Education is the strongest weapon. We can help with our talent. 

8. If you get a chance to create a work related to a campaign of saving

endangered animals, which animal will you choose for the

campaign? And your reason, please?

I already created several paintings for endangered animals such as tigers. About tigers, I feel sympathy because they are a Asian cat, killed for their body parts, and losing their forrest habitat. Their number are horribly low. I hope they could survive. I don't want to see the world without tigers. 

NEW LIMITED EDITION PRINT

Yumiko Kayukawa's Newsletter for Winter 2014. New Limited Edition Print  "SHYNESS" Limited Edition of 50. $85.00. 20 x 17 Inches Archival Pigment Print Release on Sat, Feb 22 12PM EST This print will only available until March 8th. So act fast if you want a copy! For more info, Visit  1xRUN     CUP & SAUCER, etc Limited edition Cup & Saucer, and Pillows are on sale from Click For Art.  YEAR OF THE FIRE HORSE My new show "Year of the Fire Horse" is this June at Foley Gallery in N.Y. I will also join Artshow Busan in South Korea, and some benefit events for animal shelters this Spring. More info coming soon. Check back with my Facebook!

SWEETYUMIKO.COM  follow on Twitter | Like on Facebook | forward to a friend  Copyright © *|2011|* *|Yumiko Kayukawa|*, All rights reserved.  unsubscribe from this list | update subscription preferences

EQUILLIBRIUM

Thank you EQUILLIBRIUM for the cool T-shirt!

EQUILLIBRIUM is a sustainable clothing brand and wolf sanctuary supporter. Check out their cool T-shirts HERE. Here are some of the wolf sanctuaries they support.

Colorado Wolf and Wildlife Center
Mission Wolf

地球にやさしい洋服ブランド「EQUILLIBRIUM」から、かっこいいTシャツを頂きました。ありがとう、EQUILLIBRIUM！EQUILLIBRIUMは、狼を救う団体への支援もされています。カッコイイTシャツのご購入は、コチラから。また、上記のリンクは、EQULLIBRIUMがお薦めしている狼サンクチュアリーです。ぜひチェックしてみてください。

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TIGER BOX

 I just finished "Tiger Box". It'll be on sale with my book "Japanese wolf" for a special edition set. For more info, please visit ZERO+Publishing .

「虎の箱」できあがり。画集「Japanese Wolf」とのスペシャルセット第二弾として、発売予定です。詳しくは、ZERO+Publishingまでどうぞ。

 

 

THREE COOL CATS

I can't believe it's the last day of November... I'm working for a next year's show in N.Y. right now. Here is a process shot. Everybody have a nice weekend!

１１月最終日か．．．信じられぬ！来年のニューヨークでの展覧会に向けて、描いてます。チラッとチラ見せ。みなさま、良い週末を。

HOWWL!

This is a picture from my new book "Japanese Wolf" signing event at Nucleus Gallery.  We had the real wolf guest, Thunder Heart! Check more photos on my Facebook.

Nucleus ギャラリー で行われた、新刊画集「Japanese Wolf」 サイン会での一枚です。狼の、サンダーハートくんが来場してくれました！その他の写真は、フェイスブックでどうぞ。

I'LL SHARE MY STORY...

Here is my newest interview. Enjoy! 

最新のインタビューです。お楽しみください！

Link via Shooting Gallery

Shooting Gallery Exclusive Interview: Yumiko Kayukawa

Posted June 5, 2013 (No Comments)

Kayukawa, “TSURU (Crane)” Acrylic and Ink on Canvas, 24×16

Yumiko Kayukawa is inspired by wild animals and nature; her paintings, influenced by Japanese comics, feature a menagerie of tigers, bobcats and polar bears. Her upcoming solo show Madness (full press releasehere) opens in the Shooting Gallery on June 8, from 7 – 11 PM. Kayukawa has invented a Manga-style Eden, where her female protagonist gently interacts with fierce creatures. The Japanese artist, now based in Seattle, shared her insights regarding the cultural differences between Japan and the United States, where each country has a different take on what makes art “art.” She also revealed her strong ideological stance on the pet industry, which affects her choice of subject in her paintings. Learn more about Kayukawa below!

Madness, New Works by Yumiko Kayukawa
Opening Reception – Saturday, June 8, 7-11 pm
On View Through June 29, 2013
@ Shooting Gallery (www.shootinggallerysf.com)
886 Geary Street, San Francisco, CA 94109

RSVP.

Follow the jump to read the interview in its entirety.

Kayukawa, “OORORA MOCHI (Aurora Mochi)” Acrylic and Ink on Canvas, 28×20

Who is the lead female character in your paintings? What is her significance to you? How do you identify with her?

The girls in my paintings are just somebody. They are symbol of my feelings. They describes what in my heart.

You’ve drawn a broad range of animals – many of them being native to Japan. Any animals you want to paint that you haven’t yet?

I confess that I keep drawing the same animals again and again, such as tigers, wolves, foxes etc… Just because I love them, and it’s such a pleasure to draw them. There are many animals I’ve never drawn, and of course I have a passion to try to draw them. I already have new idea with giraffes, okapis, pronghorn antelopes, etc…So you’ll see them at my next show!

What’s it like to live in such a radically different culture from where you grew up?

It’s been eight years since I moved to here, so I feel pretty much used to it. I enjoy it more now. My favorite part of Seattle is that people are not only kind to other people, but also to animals and nature. I’ve never seen a pet shop selling dogs or cats in this area. It’s pretty common for people in Japan to buy pets from a pet shop. I hate to see puppies and kittens in show windows. I’m very happy that people are more considerate about them, so I don’t have to be sad in the middle of downtown :)

Kayukawa, “SAKURA CHIRU (Cherry Blossoms Fall)” Acrylic and Ink on Canvas, 16×12

How do Americans receive art differently from Japanese people?

For American people I feel my work is basically “foreign art.” People accept that it is “Japanese style” because I’m from Japan. But for Japanese people, my style is not “art enough” to be displayed at a gallery. Rather it’s something for a comic book or illustration. About twelve years ago, I started to translate my Manga into an art piece with some Japanese words. Adding Japanese words into my work was inspired from seeing American tattoos with Japanese symbols. Of couse some of them are super cheesy and funny. But I really enjoyed seeing it when I visited the US for the first time. So I started to say some obvious things in Japanese in my work. I imagine it wasn’t so cool for Japanese people though. So in the beginning of my career, I heard some comments from Japanese people that they thought I’m an American artist! But today, I have Japanese fans who enjoy my style as it is. It’s unique transfer of culture.

What breed of dog do you own? Would your pet ever debut as a character in your paintings?

My dog is a Papillon. My husband and I adopted him from a local rescue group. I don’t think I will put him in my paintings since my policy is not to support the pet industry. I’m afraid to draw specific breeds of pets in my paintings, because there is a chance that my work will influence fans to buy pets from a pet shop. Since I’m against the selling and buying of pets from a shop, I only paint wild animals. I sincerely hope that nobody will ever buy elephants or wolves online!

Kayukawa, “TEREYA (Shyness)” Acrylic and Ink on Canvas, 20×16

Have you noticed any similarities among your collectors? What types of people are they?

They must be “nice people!” Who understand my jokes. Unfortunately I’ve only met few of them, but all the people I’ve met were really nice. That’s the only I can remember about them because I was so happy to see their big smiles because of my paintings.

Have you branched off in any commercial ventures? Since your art is highly influenced from pop culture, could you see your images translated into products?

I have a long friendship with phone & laptop protector company Gelaskyns. It’s really fun to see my work into their products.

What role does Japanese mythology and spirituality play in your paintings?

My grandma was my nanny, and she taught me a lot of myths and folktales. Many of them are stories with animals, so I started to imagine hanging out with animals. I am also influenced by Buddhism and Shinto-ism, which also teaches about spirits and creatures in our world. I enjoy to play with these ideas in my work.

When you paint animals, which materials do you refer to for modeling them? Do you use magazines, books, websites, etc.?

I use pretty much everything to try to find an image of the animals I want. I even collect children’s books or make scrap books with magazine photos. Just so I am prepared to draw any animal in any pose.

Kayukawa, “YACHOU (Wild Birds)” Acrylic and Ink on Canvas, 12×14

Your paintings portray a range of animals – from wild, and dangerous ones, to cutesy pets like bunnies and kittens. Do tame versus wild animals in your work carry different symbolism?

As I said earlier, I don’t paint pet animals. Even a piece from the new collection “Wild bird” – the theme is that these parakeets are originally wild birds. But I guess what you mean is the little wild bunnies, tiger or bobcat kittens :) Yes, I love dangerous or cute animals, both. I especially have strong feeling for predatory animals. Since I was a child, I was really into nature shows, like lions hunting zebras. I know it’s hard to see one killed in a brutal way, but that’s the way that predatory animals survive. I just adore, and respect their amazing lives.

Where is your favorite place to work on art besides your studio?

I have everything I need in my studio space. I don’t even enjoy doodling anymore. So I always work at my studio, and nowhere else.

Kayukawa, “YUKIHYOU (Snow Leopard)” Acrylic and Ink on Canvas, 22×15

DRAGONS

I just finished up the last piece for my show "Madness". It starts next month at the Shooting Gallery.

来月始まるShooting Galleryでの個展「狂気 - Madness」に出展する最後の絵を描き終えました。

I'm burned out now. So I went to I Love Sushi Lake Union for a little reward. On the way I found two rising dragons in the sky!

燃え尽きて、現在白いHigh。ご褒美に、I Love Sushi Lake Union にご飯を食べに行ったら、２頭の昇り龍が上空に！

One of the dragon said "You worked really hard. You can eat Lobster Maki tonight". So I ordered this.  DELICIOUS!

「お前はよくがんばったから、これを食べて良い」と龍が言ったので、食べたロブスター巻き。おいヒー！

Desert was a Coconut ice cream sundae at Daniel's Broiler <3

デザートは、Daniel's Broiler のココナッツアイスクリームサンデー。

Solo show "Madness" opens June 8th. Please come check the dragon!

個展「狂気 - Madness」は、６月８日からです。新作の龍を見に来てね！

HERON

I was walking in the Volunteer park with Kit few days ago, and we came across a Heron in the pond! He had just caught a small fish. It didn't bother him at all that a human and a dog were pretty close watching him.

ボランティアパークを散歩中、サギを発見！目の前で池の魚を捕まえて食べました。人や犬が超至近距離にいるというのに、まるでひるまぬ様子。

I like to have lunch at the park when the weather is nice. My best friend for picnicking is this Hello Kitty tumbler, a birthday present from my friend :)

最近お天気の良い日は、公園でお昼を食べてます。ピクニックのお供はコレ、友達が誕生日にくれたキティちゃんタンブラー。

It's only about a month until my show "Madness", I'm on fire to finish up all the work.

個展「狂気 - Madness」まであと一ヶ月余り。最後の仕上げに燃える毎日です。

AUTUMN

Drawing elephants. Their shape is difficult to draw for me, not easy as a wolf or a tiger.
ゾウさん描いてます。私にとって、ゾウは狼や虎に比べると描くのが難しい動物です。

Seattle's Autumn is beautiful.
シアトルはきれいな秋ですよ。

It's been a year since we adopted Kit. He is a year and 7 month old now.
キットが我が家に来て一年が経ちました。現在１歳７ヶ月。

TIGER & CROISSANT

Preview of my new tiger piece. 

新しい虎の絵、チラ見せ。

Seattle is sometimes hot and sometimes cool during the summer. Humidity is lower than Japan so I don't need to have a straight perm for my hair since I have lived here, and my allergy condition is much better too. Seattle rocks!

シアトルは時々カッと暑く、時々涼しい夏です。日本と比べ湿気が少ないので、こちらに住んで以来ストレートパーマいらず。アレルギー性の鼻炎も良くなりました。シアトルってイイネ！

Many gourmet places have opened in my neighborhood these days. I highly recommend Lick pure creamery. 

 The "Ice-cream fairy" Michael will give you an ice cream tasting tour, just like a wine tasting. It's really good ice-cream with original flavors that I have never seen before. Another recommend is Crumble & Flake patisserie. You have to try the Smoked paprika and cheddar croissant. I also loved Fromage Blanc cream puff. They are the KILLER. Get there early, because they sell out of product super fast. . 

このごろ近所においしい店が続々と登場。特にお薦めしたいのはアイスクリーム店Lick。アイスクリームの妖精Michaelが、ワインテイスティングのようにアイスクリームを味見させてくれますよ。今までに食べたことの無い、オリジナルの味がとってもおいしいアイスクリームです。もう一店は、ベーカリーのCrumble and Flake。パプリカ＆チーズクロワッサンと、シュークリームが一押し。ほっぺが落ちます。売り切れ御免の名店です。

Last weekend we took Kit to Marymoor Off leash park  and then swung by Lucky Jack's latte's open house. I support them because they are one of the few dog friendly cafe in the area. At the open house, there were Mini Australian shepherd puppies from Motley Zoo animal rescue. These little guys are ready to adoption soon. I hope they can find a good home! 

More photos Here

週末はキットをMarymoorドッグパークに連れて行った際、近くのLucky Jack's latte のオープンハウスに行ってきました。犬を同伴できるカフェが少ない中頑張っているので応援しています。オープンハウスでは動物救助団体のMotley Zooがオーストラリアンシェパードの子犬と戯れるコーナーを設けていました。チビちゃんたちは里親探しの準備中。良い家族にもらわれますよう！

Kit hopes you'll enjoy summer!

PINTEREST

Sneak peak of my new work. I will never get tired to paint a tiger. 

新作の一部分、チラ見せ。何度描いても楽しい、虎さん。

I started Pinterest recently. I really enjoy pinning, it's my new hobby. 

最近Pinterestを始めました。肩に力が入らず、楽しい！ちょくちょくピンしてます。

Yumiko Kayukawa/Pinterest

Finally Seattle's weather has become warmer, and it's fun to walk my dog, Kit. This year, I will join Seattle animal shelter's Furry 5K with him and I'm very exited.  I hope many people in Seattle will join it!

ようやくシアトルも暖か陽気、犬の散歩が楽しい季節になりました。Seattle animal shelterを支援するイベントFurry 5Kに、今年はキットと一緒に参加できるのが楽しみ。多くのシアトルのみなさんが参加されますよう！

Kit loves to play outside キットはお外で遊ぶのが大好き