witness "An artist who loves the beauty in everyday life"
Seeing the beauty in everyday life
We tend to look for joy and beauty "somewhere else."
However, if you look down at your feet, you will see a beautiful and lovely landscape.
For example, time spent with family and friends, the small joys we feel in our daily lives, and the scenery of the changing seasons.
These are all special things that exist only in the here and now.
Witness's works remind us of the beauty in our everyday lives that we tend to overlook.
Roots 1: The origin of sensibility
"When I was a child, I was always into anime, manga, special effects, games, and plastic models, influenced by my father.
I enjoyed myself by doodling on the backs of flyers and serializing manga in my notebook.
The content is mostly Dragon Ball (laughs), but I still love Gundam, Ultraman and Kamen Rider.
There used to be a lot of pop illustrations on game software packages,
The Final Fantasy series, drawn by Yoshitaka Amano,
I was shocked by the delicate touch and use of color, which was different from anything I had seen before."
Roots 2: Fukuoka's diverse culture and exchange with Asia
Fukuoka City, where Witness was born and raised, is the economic and cultural center of the Kyushu region.
It is a city where rich history meets modern charm.
It has flourished as an important trading hub since ancient times, and is now attracting attention as a hub for IT and startups.
"Fukuoka is a region with a large number of artists, as people come from all over Kyushu.
The number of galleries has increased in recent years and is attracting attention.
Fukuoka is also known as the gateway to Asia, and is just 50 minutes away from Busan in Korea by plane.
I often go there to play.
It's a lot of fun visiting local friends, introducing each other to delicious food, and learning about cultural differences."
About the floral motif
"At the beginning of my career, I was making abstract paintings of lines and patterns,
I started drawing flowers as an exercise in incorporating motifs.
The flowers grow with fresh energy,
The beauty of the flowers is that their color and shape change as they wither and fade over time.
This also overlaps with human age and the way we age."
What is important when drawing a picture?
"I also value coincidences.
For example, brush strokes and masking tape placement.
When I was a teenager, I liked rock and punk rock and listened to them a lot.
Even if I can't express it well, I treasure the first feelings I had.
So I often like to leave mistakes and the first lines intact."
