Akemi Artist
Tsutsui-Kunitake
How has your Japanese roots influenced your illustrations? I include imagery that is comforting or familiar to me in my work. Because of my Japanese background I associate many things that are Japanese with familiarity and so those images appear in my illustrations. Some works feature creatures from Japanese folklore like the bake-kujira (a ghost that resembles a whale), oni (ogres or demons) and kodama (forest spirits, similar to dryads). Other works aim to evoke a general Japanese aesthetic through the use of certain postures and hand positions commonly seen in buddhas or in ukiyo-e prints. I also enjoy illustrating scenes that nod to my Japanese heritage through the activity or items my characters are engaging with. Examples include a witch eating ramen and gyoza, a woman bathing in an ofuro (a Japanese bath), and a vendor selling dreams in the form of dumplings or noodles from a food cart.
Q& A Japanese American illustrator in Denver
When did you first begin drawing?
I’ve been drawing for as long as I can remember. Before I entered preschool I already had quite a collection of drawings - I think my mom still has them. My very first drawings were close in content to what I draw now - magical creatures, witches, sorcerers... As I grew up, I explored different subject matters and styles since I felt that the fantasy scenes were things of my childhood and I should move on to ‘more mature subjects’ that were edgy or had more social relevance. My work now really reflects the imagery I’ve always wanted to create, but thought wasn’t interesting enough to other people to be seen. Akemi Tsutsui-Kunitake | asian avenue magazine
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