Maria Tanikawa

title: relativity-6
medium: Japanese pigment/metal-leaf/sumi-ink on wood panel
dimension: h60” w24”

title: vicissitude
2009
medium: collagraph
dimension: about h24” w36”

title: relativity-twisty
2008-2009
medium: PAINTING(Japanese pigment/metal-leaf/sumi-ink on canvas)
dimension: h8” w10”

Artist Statement

I was born in 1978 and raised in Japan. After obtaining a BFA at Tama Art University in Japanese Painting Fine Arts in 2005, I moved to New York City 2007.

I have been studying Painting since I was a child under the instruction of a private teacher. During this time, I was passionate about many kinds of art, such as mixed media, printmaking, collage, sculpture and glass. More recently, as my artistic abilities have further developed, I have focused my energies on painting, printmaking and sculpture. The theme of my art is “HUMAN FEELING: emotional life.” The roots of my art lies in organic abstraction – I am fascinated by human emotions – for example, hope, sadness, confusion and love. I am also particularly interested in the relationships or connections that exist in our minds between ideas and images such as color, sound, rhythm and movement.

My artwork is based on a traditional Japanese painting method. Primarily, I work with Sumi ink, pigments and metal leaf (gold, silver, copper and aluminum). Even when working with a two-dimensional work, I strive to create rich textures, reflection and space by using many layers of ink, metal leaf and pigment thus allowing me to capture the feeling of a three-dimensional piece. As a result of this process of layering materials, I have been able to create interesting surfaces and textures. Another important aspect in my artwork is the composition of metal which creates shifting colors. The fact that metal can change color on its own as time goes by compliments the theme of my work.

Website

http://www.mariatanikawa.com/