A small future
I usually draw pictures of animals based on my research on Iriomote Island. My basic stance remains the same when I draw pictures of the future. I want the natural environment, including all the creatures on the island, and the way people interact with them to move in a better direction.
I can’t draw everything, but the Iriomote wildcat is important as a symbol.
Their wild charm attracts us. I thought I would draw a side of them that is a part of their daily lives, but that they don’t show us.
If we lose our relationship with the island’s environment, their daily lives will easily disappear. I think about how my drawings will look to us in the future. It might be a good thing in a way if people think they are just ordinary animal drawings. It’s much better than a future where they are treated as a mythical creature that once existed, and even my drawings have to have some special meaning.
With that in mind, I chose a mother and child wildcat as my motif.
This is just my humble opinion, but I think that what we can do to solve problems that have no immediate answers is to connect with others who share the same feelings.
What we perceive as a problem and how we perceive it will differ from person to person. I hope that we can at least have the same emotions and look toward the same future. I drew this with the hope that we can add even smaller lives to that group.
The technique I use is ink, mineral pigments and gold paint on silk.
Due to the nature of the support, work cannot be erased once it has been done, so I place great importance on touching each piece carefully.
