There are times when I feel melancholic or pensive while looking at an ordinary object or scenery. These can be beautiful moments. I feel like an outcast, drifting away from everyday life; at the same time, I sense as if discovered a very special place, a place of my own. I want to paint them to preserve those special moments.

In a household where I grew up, there were always objects that were reminiscence of Taisho and early Showa periods(1910's to 1930's), such as arabesque-pattered cosmetics packaging, cans and wrapping papers. I believe the motif symbolizes a particular era where a marriage took place between the aesthetics that feeds a sense of reticent melancholy over certain object or scenery, and Art Deco-style that represents the Western opulence. These decorative aesthetics has been incorporated into  the present living in Japan and has influenced my own aesthetics sensitivity.

When I try suggest a sign of life or things that cannot be seen by depicting ordinary objects, I refer to the rich imagination observed in "TAGASODE"(Whose Sleeve), a picture of a hanging kimono that effectively portrays a trace of someone who had been present at the scene or the scent he/she left behind.

I can also relate to Settai Komura's "AOYAGI"(Green Willow), in which the artist utilized a technique to create lyrical painting by recomposing the scenery as if he peeked into somebody else's life, choreographing the scene. Their approach and treatment of motif have some likeness to how I capture the scenery in my work.

This is my way to seize the beautiful moments in life. To cherish those signs and traces of life, the sunlight and scent of seasons, or the 'absolute' things is a way preserve my self and my life as days keep passing by.

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Makiko Masutani 2017