Stimulated by various things, such as city, landscape, travel, flower, poem, I expressed images and messages in Nihonga (Japanese traditional painting), relief, and sculpture.
I drew graffiti on the walls of buildings in the city, and then I became interested in the expression of matiere, which led to the texture of paper reliefs.
On hemp paper for Nihonga or on the paper panel molded by myself, I painted images by Iwaenogu, acrylic paints, gold and silver leaves, gold powder, race, pieces of iron or brass, in order to develop world of my own images.
In many of my paper reliefs, main theme was "the earth", which expressed warmth and power of the Mother Earth.
In my works composed of many pieces, the variation in color and shape indicates different character of players, whilst the gradation of color shows harmony among them. Underlying these works are my wish that the world would become a better place if people can be more tolerant, respect difference among them, and resonate with each other, achieving harmony as a whole.
In my sculpture, I visually represented what a person or an anthropomorphic animal is thinking.
“Memory of Circles”
Junko Iwasa
The Japanese Friendship Garden (JFG) presents an exhibition of Japanese multimedia artist Junuko Iwasa who was Born in Osaka Prefecture. After received BA at Osaka Kyoiku University Japan. She creates traditional Japanese paintings, reliefs, and sculptures inspired by everyday life, nature, and the social environment. She works with a variety of contemporary materials as well as traditional Japanese materials. She has received numerous national and international awards and has been exhibited in Japan and abroad.
Emiko Scudder
Enso（circular form） is a Zen calligraphic form that
symbolically expresses enlightenment, truth, and spiritual fulfillment
as a round shape that represents eternity, a continuum without beginning
or end. Also I was inspired by the sensibility of those who believed
that the universe was a circular system, I use a variety of materials to
express the all-encompassing power, peace, abundance, gentleness, and
softness of the circle.
When I first began creating artworks, I was fascinated by the textures
of city walls and graffiti in NY, and created traditional Japanese-style
paintings on the theme of walls. Later, I developed the technique of
matiere (expression of materials) and began to pursue the expression of
the receptiveness and warmth of nature by handcrafted paper, pulp, and
wood powder, and coloring with ink, shell powder, rock paint, acrylic
paint, gold and silver leaf, and other materials.
The works, composed of small pieces of different sizes, shapes, and
materials, each have their own individuality, but when gathered
together, they create harmony by respecting each other. I hope that this
is also true of the complex social structures and living environments
that surround us!
Junko Iwasa
