Meet the modest Yasuko Aoyama, a genius in making breathtakingly beautiful prints. Her art has a flow and her designs are not just intriguing but also very soothing to the soul. It’s like music in prints, the way her designs spread out to include every corner and the right shade of colours. There’s harmony in her work that reaches out to everyone. At 34, Yasuko is one of the most celebrated prints.
Born in Akita, she grew up in Sendai City, Miyagi Prefecture, Japan. Bringing you an exclusive with the genius:
How did design take a serious note for you?
I began to become conscious of design, after becoming a member of society and started printmaking some ten years back. There was a time when I was studying painting at school, but I did not take any classes for design.
Please tell us about your early years of discovering self, design and creativity.
I have been drawing since I was a child and I continue to draw till date. I had inhibitions before about getting into print making but it was only when I realised I could express my favourite colours, textures, lines and shapes by carving on an eraser; I realized that I was also there.
Your prints are amazing, where do you derive inspiration from?
I often draw things that I think are beautiful in what I see every day. Sometimes I draw it as it is and sometimes I replace certain things that I feel can emphasize the beauty of the concept. Recently, I drew an octopus that appeared in my dream. I also try to make pictures that I can imagine from literary works and music that I come across.
What is special about your technique of developing these amazing prints?
The technology part is restrictive in certain terms because of its set parameters but where we can play is when it comes to mixing colours or some other day-to-day production experiments that I try to solve for my doubts in printmaking. However, the field of art is like a road to discovering new things every day.
Apart from Patterns, are there other mediums like paintings or sculpture that you practice for your creative instincts?
In the past, at school I was learning Japanese painting for some time. But ever since I ventured into prints, I have been experimenting with erasers. I am trying to explore woodblock print techniques to obtain something that can be used for the current production.
Tell us about your growing up years and what did you study?
I learned very basic things (such as drawing and other fundamental techniques) for painting. Also, I was interested in the movements of the mind at the time of creation, and at university I learned about the method of counselling using pictures and psychotherapy.
What all are your hobbies?
Since I am working almost every day after work so there isn’t much time to indulge in any hobby but I like to indulge in everything that can be blown up into an image to make a good print work. I like to appreciate literary works and music and I also like to take a walk around my neighbourhood soaking in the places, people, buildings and signs that I see along.
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