Artist's Statement

When I first began painting landscapes, I chose subjects that were close at hand—things that attracted no one's attention, or things that were never meant to be looked at.

By deliberately painting such subjects, I wanted to avoid making conventional landscape paintings. At the same time, I believed that by depicting things without any particular meaning, viewers might be drawn to the painting itself.

As I continued painting, I often imagined traveling across Japan or abroad in search of places to photograph. Yet, even after nearly thirty years, I still find myself wandering around my own neighborhood, never having gone anywhere, and I can't help but laugh at myself.

But perhaps, wherever I had gone, I would have ended up looking for the same kinds of places.

– Yoko Kawamoto