ARTIST STATEMENT
Through earthly materials, I explore the shared human conditions of love and suffering by creating emotional vital forms. I seek to create figures that are entirely unique, just as each individual. Therefore, I do not use models and instead, create forms derived from the subconscious. My artworks are not a copy of nature, but rather the reflection of the inner self, emotions, and the hidden figures within. Influenced by my Japanese American heritage, I believe deeply in the sacredness of materials. I work in an array of media such as ceramics, wire weaving, and origami where repetition is an integral part of my art-making process. I utilize repetitive movements like looping, folding, and coiling to reflect a meditative state. In this state, I allow myself to listen to the material and I push myself to make these repetitions until the expression is complete. By tuning in to what is emerging from the material, I create sculptures that contain their own spirit.
A major theme in my work is the resiliency of nature and humankind. As a descendant of atomic bomb survivors, it is my duty to remind others of this horrific time in history so that it will never be repeated. These narratives from the beginning of the Anthropocene give a greater understanding of a not so distant past that is still rooted among us. Artists who have influenced my work include Ruth Asawa, Isamu Noguchi, and Yoko Ono. These artists defy the Japanese phrase/philosophy of indifference: “shikata ga nai” which means “it cannot be helped, accept what is.” I believe that ameliorating the human condition does not occur through defeatism. Following in the footsteps of avant-garde Nikkei artists, I use my art to start dialogues on current social issues.
One of my main sculpting philosophies is to capture the hidden figures that exist in the air around us. I weave wire and clay coils around the forms I see around me, waiting to be revealed. In a time of social distance, we have come to understand space as a separating force. However, I see air as the ether that connects all humankind. By opening my sculptural forms, I create vessels imbued with individualistic essence. These modern artifacts celebrate humankind’s connection with the earth and their desire to say “I was here.”
RESIDENCIES
December 2020
MING STUDIOS
Boise, ID
September 2020
SUREL'S PLACE
Garden City, ID
EXHIBITIONS
November 11-13 2021
CLOSE PROXIMITY
Neri Gallery
Boise, ID
September 7 - October 27 2021
INTRODUCTIONS
Blue Galleries
Boise, ID
July 1 -31 2021
18TH ANNUAL JURIED EXHIBITION
Art Source Gallery
Boise, ID
March 20 - April 30 2021
LAND ART EXHIBIT
Idaho Botanical Garden
Boise, ID
November 2020 - March 2021
REVIRESCO
The Green Box - Surel's Place
Garden City, ID
November - December 2020
WINTER JURIED SHOW
realART
Agoura Hills, CA
October 2020
IDENTITY AND ALLYSHIP IN ART
Flying M Coffee and Inclusive Idaho
Boise, ID
October 2020
SENTIMENTS IN CLAY
Eagle City Hall
Eagle, ID
September 2020
FEATURED ARTIST
The Potter's Center
Garden City, Idaho
March - July 2020
SENTIMENTS IN CLAY
Meridian Library District
Meridian, ID
April - May 2019
NATURAL CONDITIONS
William Rolland Gallery of Fine Art
Thousand Oaks, CA
Art Department of California Lutheran University's graduating class of 2019 Senior Show. Included artists Quinn Rosenblatt, Donaldo Lopez, Breann Carlucci, Johannah Peterson, Hallie Maxwell and Michelle Handal.
April - May 2019
THINGAMAJIG: A PRINTMAKING AND CERAMICS EXPLORATION
Kwan Fong Gallery
Thousand Oaks, CA
Curated by Donaldo Lopez, Quinn Rosenblatt and Hallie Maxwell.
April - May 2018
THINGAMAJIG: A PRINTMAKING AND CERAMICS EXPLORATION
Kwan Fong Gallery
Thousand Oaks, CA
April - May 2016
COLLECTIVE VOICES: A JURIED STUDENT ART EXHIBITION
William Rolland Gallery
Thousand Oaks, CA
GRANTS
2021
ALEXA ROSE FOUNDATION
Papermaking supplies to recycle paper cranes from community installation.
ARTIST TALKS AND LECTURES
July 2021
April 27, 2020
November 5, 2019
May 10, 2019
ART IN AMERICA'S CONCENTRATION CAMPS
California Lutheran University
University of California Santa Barbara
Art History lecture on art that was made in the America's Concentration Camps (Japanese Internment Camps).
November 5, 2019
JOMON POTTERY
California Lutheran University
May 3, 2019
ARTIST TALK: NATURAL CONDITIONS
William Rolland Gallery
Thousand Oaks, CA
PUBLICATIONS AND MEDIA
Summer/Fall 2020
LUNCH TICKET
Published in Lunch Ticket's Issue 17: Summer/Fall 2020.
April 24th 2020
IDAHO PUBLIC TELEVISION
THE 180: SUREL'S PLACE
Featured on The 180 with Marcia Franklin as part of the Surel's Place Panorama Project.