Masako Tobita
24 February – 10 April 2012
Masako was born and raised in Japan and studied art and design at Joshibi University in Tokyo before working for a graphic design and architectural company. When she moved to New York later on, she felt drawn to creating work in oils and followed courses at The Art Students League in Manhattan. Since living in the U.K. for the last twenty-two years, she has developed her work as an artist very successfully, exhibiting in many galleries across England including in London at the RA Summer Exhibition and at the Open West, Cheltenham.
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Masako would say she paints instead of writing a diary:
“As the days begin, I pick up a brush, mix some colours and start making a first mark on a canvas, without knowing where it will lead to. My work is very much like an autobiography, layers of feelings about the past, the present and the future.”
Masako is able to paint very distinctive and unique works. She allows her thoughts, experience and feelings to flow through onto the canvas. Her childhood memories, lifetime experiences, both happy and sad, produce brush stokes that are free and positive, creating strong images that impact on the viewer – drawing us into her thoughts and mind – challenging us to experience and enjoy her ability to reach abstraction. Her wonderful sense of colour and energetic brush strokes ensure her paintings are vibrant and positive.
This exhibition shows work by Masako about the past, the present and the future but it could have also been called ‘Only Red’. In fact, the colour Red had been in Masako’s mind for some time. Following the devastating impact of March 11th 2011 on her country and its people with the earthquake followed by the Tsunami, Masako felt compelled “to step into the core of her emotions”. Since then, Red has been the only colour that has enabled her to express the powerful and diverse feelings she experienced. Red is the dominant colour of this exhibition creating fascinating paintings.
“The colour “Red” has been in my mind for some time.
The devastation of the 11th of March forced me to step
into the core of my emotions.
Since then, “Red” became the only colour that is able to express
such diverse emotions inside of me.”
such diverse emotions inside of me.”
