We were lucky to catch up with Aki Kano recently and have shared our conversation below.

Aki, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. We’d love to hear the backstory behind a risk you’ve taken – whether big or small, walk us through what it was like and how it ultimately turned out.

Taking on the role of President of the American Artists Professional League back in 2021 was a risk. When I became President, the organization had issues that needed to be resolved, even though it has been a reputable group since its founding in 1928. I took a leap by taking on this position. I didn’t know then if it would be my art career’s worst or best move. The fantastic thing is that the organization is doing so well now and has grown a lot over the last four years. It is a dynamic group, and along with the talented and dedicated board of directors, who are all also passionate and tireless volunteers, we constantly implement new initiatives, exhibitions, and ideas. We not only brainstorm ideas, we implement them. The older issues have been fixed. This has been made possible by taking baby steps daily and being productive every day. The organization has become successful due to our ability to accomplish tasks consistently. Because I took the risk of taking on the President role of AAPL, I overcame my fears and apprehension and now feel a sense of accomplishment and confidence. We now host six exhibitions annually, have a growing community of over 500 members, and have introduced numerous new programs.

I never considered myself a leader, but this role has reshaped my perspective. It complements my work as a watercolor painter, allowing me to balance creativity with leadership. I’m passionate about supporting artists, fostering the art community, and bringing together creative minds to achieve a shared vision. You can read and find out more about AAPL at AAPLinc.org

Aki, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

From a young age, I have been captivated by and have loved art, design, and fashion. I enrolled in Advanced Placement Art in high school, and in middle school, I took Advanced Art. I sketched realistic drawings in pencil from the age of 11 or 12. But, despite my talent and passion for art, I wanted to pursue a liberal arts education as I believed it to be the more practical path. However, fate had other plans- I got accepted into the School of Art and Design, not the School of Literature, Science, and Arts at my top-choice university, the University of Michigan. I ended up majoring in painting and art history at U of M. As a young college student, I interned for prominent fashion designers, such as Donna Karan, Michael Kors, Cynthia Rowley, and Vivienne Tam, over my summer breaks. Eventually, this passion for fashion led me to attend the Fashion Institute of Technology in NYC after graduating from the U of M with a B.F.A.

After graduating from F.I.T, I landed a dream job designing sweaters and knitwear for Ralph Lauren’s runway Collection line. I worked backstage at fashion shows and pulled all-nighters to meet deadlines, ensuring garment specs were sent to Italian factories in time for cashmere and silk sweaters to be ready for the runway. Seeing my designs featured in the Bergdorf Goodman windows was exciting. It felt like an intense whirlwind, and this position marked the start of my 15-year-long career as a fashion designer. It was a fast-paced and demanding journey, and even though I had a deep passion for design, I realized it wasn’t the right path for me over time.

In 2014, after working as a designer for many years, I enrolled in a watercolor painting class at the Art Students League in Manhattan. I fell in love with the medium! I had painted with oils in college, but watercolors felt right. I quickly learned the techniques and basics of watercolor painting, and after spending the first year painting still lives of legos and Thomas the Train toy trains, I painted my first portrait of my then toddler son. I found my niche and favorite subject matter: faces and people. I was 39 when I enrolled in that class, and after completing several paintings, including commissions, I decided to leave the fashion world to pursue fine art. Since then, I’ve painted many portraits, not only of people but of animals, too. In college, I painted in a more colorful and expressive style, but now, with watercolors, I work meticulously, carefully, and with much detail, being realistic and subtle. People think watercolor painting is loose, but I enjoy carefully manipulating the paint and finessing it to create delicate and sensitive portraits. My goal is to capture not only the likeness of my subjects but their spirit, too. I aim to tell stories about my subjects by capturing them during interesting and ephemeral moments. I also often include detailed backgrounds in my paintings that help to set the scenes for the narratives.

In the 10 years that I have been a watercolor painter, there have been milestones that I am very proud of. In addition to the awards that I have received from various prestigious art organizations such as the Salmagundi Club of New York, the American Artists Professional League, I have been accepted into very competitive exhibitions such as one in Oslo, Norway as I was one out of 25 artists accepted from 2000 submissions, It was so exciting to travel to Oslo for the opening of the exhibition. Another significant accomplishment was when I was featured in a six-page demo editorial in International Artist Magazine last summer. It has been a great honor to serve as a juror for the prestigious Spain-based Almenara Art Competition this year and last.

In 2021, I became the President of the fine art nonprofit organization, the American Artists Professional League. Being the leader of this almost 100-year-old society has been very rewarding. I realized I enjoy bringing people together to work toward a common goal. The AAPL’s mission is to advance realism and representational art in America. As a realist watercolor portraitist, this is a true passion of mine. The work involved in the President role truly brings my left and right brains together and challenges me in different ways from painting and drawing. The organization is dynamic and has grown significantly in the last four years, which is exciting.

Looking back, I realize I have always been creative but have repeatedly pivoted and reinvented my creativity. For those of you who have not discovered your calling, don’t give up yet. Life will naturally guide you to find it. It took me years to find my love of watercolor painting, but I appreciate my years as a fashion designer. It sharpened my eye for color, design, and composition while also teaching me the value of tenacity and ambition.

I am currently represented by 33 Contemporary Gallery on Artsy.net. https://www.artsy.net/partner/33-contemporary/artists/aki-kano

Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?

Watercolor painting is a meditative activity for me. I paint because it keeps me grounded and on a good path. My work aims to capture not only the likeness of my subject but also the spirit and essence. I give my subjects complete attention and focus by being responsive and sensitive to them. Capturing a person, animal, or object with this sensitivity allows me to see its beauty while painting.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

Being a full-time artist requires resilience. I applied to many exhibitions that I didn’t get accepted into, but I have learned to be thick-skinned and keep working and painting despite rejection. As a result of not giving up and continuing to create and improve, I have been accepted to many shows in galleries and a few museums, have won awards, and have been featured in major fine art publications. The key to success in any field is perseverance—pushing forward even when immediate results aren’t visible.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.akikano.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/akikanonyc/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aki-kano-01a1686/
• Other: 33 Contemporary Gallery on Artsy

  https://www.artsy.net/partner/33-contemporary/artists/aki-kano

Image Credits

The first headshot was taken by Omar Ch-Hibat