Next year marks the 15th anniversary since I started visiting California. In this exhibition, I am presenting paintings created not by the usual me in Japan but by “another me” that emerges when I am in California.

I was born and raised in a home that was relatively wealthy and provided me with a comfortable life but overemphasized old-fashioned styles when it came to matters like romantic relationships, marriage, and work. The environment was full of complicated relationships and adult politics, which suppressed my emotions and made me feel suffocated. This is why my paintings are themed on relationships between rules and freedom, reason and emotion, and action and inaction. Just like the tears people shed when they are emotionally overwrought, the dripping of paint on my paintings has expressed emotions emerging from the depth of my body.

However, my annual visit to California has been a significant experience and has changed the way I paint. My life in Japan was full of social constraints. But California’s open and relaxed climate, natural environment, and people’s behavior have a great influence on me and inspire me to become a new me. Leaving behind the constraints, I can paint freely as my heart dictates.

My atelier is located in Newport Beach, which is different from bustling cities like Los Angeles. It resembles quieter areas like Nice in Southern France or Ashiya in Kobe, and its residents primarily consist of retired elderlies.

California’s crystal blue sky seems to elevate and expand without limit. The area is abundant with wild birds and colorful flowers, which I encounter daily. Even when it rains in the morning, the sky clears quickly and turns blue by noon. Each of these ordinary things in California encourages me to feel positive. Many people have their own natural and comfortable lifestyle, exuding a refreshingly pleasant atmosphere, as if they are open to whatever happens.

Me in Japan and me in California ̶ I am not sure which is better, but I feel California allows me to be natural as a human being, without forcing me to act in certain ways. That is why California has been and will be a special place for me.