Sky

　I liked drawing from when I was small. Of course, I also liked baseball and playing around the river, but when I drew well, my father praised my work. That made me draws more seriously, to get attention from my father. After entering elementary school, I drew to hear friends’ voices that were impressed by my work. I took requests from friends to drew on their writing sheets; navy ships for boys, princesses in a fancy dresses for girls. I was pleased to see their faces satisfied by my work. However, at some point, drawing became necessity for me to liberate my own mind, not just wanting to see somebody’s smiling face.
　I was accepted to the The Japan Art Institute Exhibition for the first time when I was in college and this piece was the 6th entry to The Japan Art Institute Exhibition.
　This is a big zelcova tree. It used be at the road leading to the Ookunitama Shrine in Fuchu. Maybe because I grew up near the Ise Shrine, something divine, something primitive attracted me strongly to it. To portray a gigantic tree means that I acknowledge its life force and firm existence, and it is one my favorite themes.
　Looking back at my works from this period, most of the pieces were drawn meticulously to the extent it makes it hard for me to breathe, and dark and heavy. However, I cherish them as irreplaceable steps during the developmental process in myself. In my twenties, when I had more than enough time to spend, I believed that tenacious drawing would compensate for my lack of maturity. Since then, thirty years have passed. My skills have improve somewhat compared to then, but I have much less time now. I feel my focus on my work has increased. Now I draw from my heart, so that I would not regret even if a piece of work becomes my last.