Birdman
Amateur painter BIRDMAN aspires to live in a video game. Her paintings are escorted by instinct and are translated to us through her friends.
So, what brought you to Japan?
I wanted to challenge myself, so I tried to go to Japan to study Japanese. This was my first time moving abroad.
There’s a certain gentleness to your work. Would you say there have been any events that have had a particular influence on your painting style?
I am a huge animal lover. I have a dog and I part time babysit for a rabbit. I watch clips of different animals and it always lights up my mood. Lately, clips about penguins are my favourite.
Texture is one of the first things I was drawn to in your pieces. Was this technique something planned for or was it more instinctual - a natural happening?
I would say it is more instinctual. I never took any drawing classes, so I’m not familiar with many drawing techniques. For my pieces, I draw in a way that allows for more depth and dimension in the artwork.
You do a lot of fashion illustration. How did this relationship between fashion and your painting develop?
I’ve always been interested in fashion. When I first came to Japan, I went to a private art school to spend my time off during the weekend. But because I didn’t really know about the concept of clothes design, my teacher at the time suggested to me to start by drawing the designs that I wanted. Since then I have started to paint as well as the design.
What do you find so stimulating about video games and cute things?
I like video games and cute things. The vibrant colours always give me lots of ideas. I think I want to my life to be like a game, full of strange things and happenings. I even made a story book inspired by these ideas before.
You have said you also love collectables. Through painting you are creating your own BIRDMAN collectables. Do you think that (or how does) your interest in collectables influence your work?
I have collected figurines for many years. When I collect them, I feel like I am adding to my family or friends. They make me feel my house is full and not empty. I hate to be lonely. Because of this, when I draw, I like to fill out the whole painting, it’s like how I am when I’m finish a full collection of figurines, the picture is full of things.
Collecting is really quite instinctual, ritualistic. When it comes to painting, do you have any creative rituals?
Not really. But I use lots of yellow shades in my drawing.
What intrigues you about painting something scary?
My painting style always tends to be adorable, endearing characters and lots of vibrant colours. I don’t like black very much. Because of this I try to do paintings that’s different than my usual style such as painting something scary.
And what would your fantasy world, what does your utopia consist of?
I wish I could go. However, sometimes the happiest place in the world can be the worst place, and they contradict each other because I also want to explore that “dark side”, the evil part of the world in my drawing.
Do you see yourself as a contributor to the creative industry or an individual, and why?
Now I’m just enjoying painting, I don’t really think of myself as an artist at this point.
courtesy BIRDMAN
interview KATE KIDNEY BISHOP
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