Moeko Machida Artwork
BIOMoeko MACHIDA is an Aichi (Japan)-born artist who creates paintings under the prominent theme: the nature of life. Placing herself amid all phenomena surrounding lives, she carefully observes and perceives phenomena, thus meticulously putting them into images. Raised by biologist parents, she has been familiar with matters surrounding vitality and has had a strong perception of emotions since an early age. Consequently, she had gotten overwhelmedby the spirits of the dead and the invisible existences surrounding her. It was her expressionist self that found a way to face those presences that she could not detach herself from. The ideas she nurtured in studying Japanese painting and Butoh dance also have influences on her artistry. While studying at the Kyoto City University of Arts, she learned the Japanese painting method that places emphasis on sketching, through which she acquired an attitude of taking time to face the subject matter with serenity. She also started learning dance in her childhood and studied Butoh eagerly during college, which led her to apply the Butoh-derived idea of the body as being amid phenomena surrounding lives to her work. Her portfolio includes fusuma (sliding door) paintings for traditional Japanese houses, hotel room exhibitions, solo shows in Japan and Italy and she has participated in residencies across Japan and Europe. In 2023, moved to California, where she now showcases her work in the San Francisco Bay Area.StatementI explore the hidden beauty of living beings through paintings created with traditional Japanese pigments. Engaging in mindful observation, I use my entire body to carefully sense the unseen forces within life. My creations are tangible results of this exploration and observation.The round shapes in my work, inspired by rocks and stones, symbolize life’s essence. When I paint, I’m inspired not only by living organisms but also by the spirit of the dead. Recognizing that life includes death is essential to my creative vision. This understanding shapes my work asan expression of admiration for the beauty and strength of all existence, as well as deep respect for all living beings.https://www.moekomachida.com/ Keyword: featuredartists
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Paula Pietranera Artwork
https://paulapietranera.com/ ARTIST STATEMENTThink the fold. Be the fold. Forget the fold.My work is rooted in two traditional Japanese art techniques.Renzuru, which is roughly translated as “consecutive cranes”, is an advanced origami technique that uses a single sheet of paper to fold a series of multiple cranes, all connected to each other through their wings, beak or tails.And Sumié, the art of ink painting. Through the fluidity and spontaneity of the brush strokes and the precision and detail care of the paper folds, my art invites you to get closer, to connect, and explore. Paper cranes and sumi ink come together in a subtle way that can only be discovered within the stillness of intimate, mindful attention.Many connected cranes come alive out of a single sheet of paper, where each one is unique and at the same time part of the whole. The simplicity, skilled execution, and the deep connection with the creative act of the present moment is what gives life to my expression as an artist, on a journey beyond mere decoration or aesthetic appreciation.“Paula Pietranera has reinvented Renzuru into a highly sophisticated contemporary art form that goes beyond folk art in both style and content.”Dr. Mark LevyProfessor Emeritus of Art History, California State UniversityBIO - PAULA PIETRANERABorn in 1979 in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Paula Pietranera graduated as an architect and later specialized in historical building conservation and restoration. During her studies, she felt a deep spiritual connection to Asian arts which led her to study sumi-e, origami and calligraphy in Argentina, Japan, and the United States. While living in Japan in 2015, she discovered the renzuru origami technique for which she trained with the master Mizuho Tomita in Kyoto. During the last few years she has been exploring ways in which this traditional paper folding technique can be an expressive medium of fine artwork. Her creations have been exhibited in Argentina, Japan and in the USAkeyword: featuredartists
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Miriam Sweeney Artwork
“Drawing inspiration from city aerial views, my work explores the urban landscape that sit somewhere between order and chaos, structure and collapse, expression and control. Seen from above, its pieces emerge like a puzzle, each with its own personality. I paint playful, textured curvilinear shapes to capture the city streets, its landmarks, the droning sounds of traffic, the chitter chatter of its cast of characters. I hope to evoke the feeling one gets when flying into a new place for the first time, when we try to take everything in, or reflect on the lasting impressions of authentic connections, special places and their unique stories.”Photoshoot at Baker Street on June 23rd, 2024.Transcript of Recordingkeyword: featuredartists
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