I enjoy creating representational oil paintings that tell stories, especially stories that promote environmental preservation and appreciation, or that illuminate cross-cultural experiences. I like painting birds and aerial-view landscapes as an allegory of my personal experiences and interests.
Having migrated to Ellensburg from Tokyo through my marriage, I identify my personal transplantation with the lives of migrating birds, in contrast with birds that are year-round residents. In my pictorial narratives these avian characters become metaphors for my personal experience of migration.
As a hang glider pilot, I have grown attached to the wild birds that share the sky with us, sometimes circling in thermals just under my wings. For thousands of years people have dreamed of flying like birds. Now we can finally do that, and the western United States is one of the best parts of the world for soaring, with beautiful scenery and birds. Painting is my way of sharing these experiences.