We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Yasuyo Maruyama. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Yasuyo below.

Alright, Yasuyo thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. When did you first know you wanted to pursue a creative/artistic path professionally?

It was when I had my senior thesis exhibition at undergraduate school in Tokyo. Originally, my parents were always opposed to me becoming an artist and were worried about my future. My parents had no confidence in my painting abilities. When I started college, they kept telling me to give up painting and find another career. So, I assumed that after I finished my senior thesis exhibition, I would give up my career as an artist and become a schoolteacher. However, immediately after the senior exhibition opened, I received inquiries from collectors and galleries in Italy and Tokyo. I signed contracts with two galleries to represent me and one month after graduation, I had my first solo exhibition at a gallery in Roppongi, Tokyo. At that time, my parents had no choice but to agree to continue. Those events as well as various people who supported me and encouraged me to take a chance, helped me to make up my mind to pursue my artist career and go to graduate school to enhance my expertise

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

Sure. I was born in Kanagawa, Japan. When I was a first grader, my family went to Ohio, U.S.A. for my father’s job and we lived there for three years. During those years, my parents took my brother, sister, and me on a Trans-America road trip and then traveled Europe and South America. During these trips we visited museums, national parks, and ruins learning of the history and culture. The murals and paintings I saw here and there overlapped with happy childhood memories, and I felt as if they were captured in my mind.

When I was becoming an adolescent, I developed severe atopic dermatitis and suffered from the disease for over three years. I had scars all over my face and body and was hardly able to attend classes at my high school or take care of myself daily without my mother’s help. When I could go out, people would look at me strangely and at times would make unpleasant comments on my appearance. As a young girl, this hurt me both physically and mentally, so I became depressed and avoided people. I stayed home and read Manga and watched Anime. During that time, I started drawing characters and portraits which opened a new window of life for me. In my eagerness to improve my drawing and painting skills, I was able to study art at an art prep school in Tokyo. Two years after I graduated from high school, I was finally accepted into Tokyo Zokei University (university specialized in art and design) where I studied art and received both a BFA and MFA degree in Painting. Upon graduating I was hired as an assistant for the art professors at my alma mater. In 2014, I was invited to be a resident artist to the Midwestern State University Texas for one year. During my residency, I started dating a fellow artist, and we were married in 2016. I have since continued to live and create my artwork in Texas.

My paintings are figurative portraits, but are not photo-realistic. In each piece, the colors and designs reflect my images and impressions of the model. For my painting process, I interview my models and ask questions to get to know them personally while taking reference photographs of them. To prepare the painting, I apply 30 to 40 layers of white base coats onto a wood panel. After it has dried, I sand the surface with abrasive papers up to a 2,000 grit until it becomes very smooth. Finally, I paint layer-by-layer of very thin oil paint to achieve an extremely flat surface finish. The process is time consuming and tedious, but necessary to accomplish the most satisfying results.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

O.K. I started my artist career in Tokyo and was able to cultivate good relationships with galleries and people in the art world over through the years. When moving to the U.S.A., I knew my connections would not fully follow me, so I would be starting over in a new art world. Unfortunately, the transition didn’t go as smoothly as I hoped. I was confused by the differences in language and culture. I had no connections with gallerists in the U.S.A. who could promote my work. I applied for competitions and other art opportunities with no luck, only rejection notices. I felt discouraged, frustrated, and hopeless. However, I was (and am) passionate about my art career and I kept working and kept applying. I do not give up easily; I continue working patiently towards my goal. One day, after about three years of continuous challenges, I received a small award. It was a small competition and the work was displayed quietly on a corner area of the wall. Still, it encouraged me to keep trying. After that, little by little, I began receiving acceptance notices and prizes which lead to sequential opportunities, such as commissions and exhibitions. Although my activities are still within a small world, I am very happy to have venues that show my artwork and to meet people who enjoy my work. I will continue to challenge myself in my field so that I may share with many more people and remember my original intent for beginning my artistic journey.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

I am grateful for the environment I have where I can paint what I love and connect with others through my artwork. The best reward for me is to see the smiles and feel the positive vibes of all the people who are involved with my artwork at the exhibitions.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.yasuyomaruyama.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/yasuyo.maruyama/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/yasuyo.maruyama

Image Credits
Suguru Hiraide