SHUKADO gallery

A talk between two Japanese-style painters, Abe Kiyoko and Ikenaga

Yasunari Ikenaga: As far as I am concerned, girls make themselves look like mature adults once at the age of 22. Yet, you sense there is something awkward in their behaviors, because they don’t really feel at ease with themselves. However, They are spirited even dressed in the wrong outfit.I kinda like the imbalance. That’s exactly the reason I always fall in love with a 22-year-old girl. They are young and less likely to do what you’ve asked but by drawing them, I feel like I have caressed them by my eyes and the paintbrush for hours. I put several layers of light skin color on the brown linen. Gradually, layer by layer, a human being is slowly shaping up, soft with body warmth and scent. When I was in junior high school, I kept drawing a classmate in the front row. I just stared at her earlobe for an hour, even couples don’t do that. I felt that her silhouette had become my possession as I drew it everyday. I guess that was simply the desire to draw.