The 3rd "Traveling around the 47 prefectures of Japan! Art tour of Japan" in Kanagawa [Grand Prize winner] Interview with Satoru Nogami

The 3rd "Japan Art Journey Tour: Visiting 47 Prefectures" in Kanagawa was successfully concluded with a lot of support and participation.

This time, we spoke with Nogami Satoru, who won the grand prize in the visitor contest held during the event, about his daily life and his works.

【 Title 】 Onigokko

- Congratulations on the Grand Prix!

Q. This was your first time participating in an exhibition hosted by FROMARTIST. How did you feel about winning the Grand Prix?

-These realistic paintings of girls that I draw are well received by the models' families, but... there seem to be mixed opinions about what ordinary people who have no connection to the models and don't know them at all think when they see my work.

So, I'm really surprised to win the Grand Prix, and I'm honestly very happy.

Q. I think there are many people who have seen your paintings for the first time at this exhibition, but do you often participate in exhibitions on a regular basis?

-I often participate in public exhibitions and competitions up to about size 10. The reason is the ease of transporting the work. It's relatively cheap to send it by mail, and it's easy to take the train or bus if you bring it in directly. I find various competitions and public exhibitions, apply, and visit the venues during the exhibition period to transport my work. I also enjoy sightseeing and eating and drinking in the vicinity.

Q. Regarding your award-winning work "Onigokko," please tell us about the process of creating it, the episode that inspired you to draw it, and any highlights of the work.

-We took photos in a park on New Year's Day. The weather was nice and it was a perfect day to play outside. The friendly family who acted as our model started playing tag in the park. When the old man playing the role of the demon approached, the girls' happy cries of "waaaah" and "scream" echoed throughout the park as they desperately tried to run away. At that moment, I thought, "Wow, how peaceful and happy this must be."

I tried to portray a girl moving around energetically with messy hair, and her eyes and mouth express a natural, happy expression. I hope that people who watch this work will feel the same peaceful and happy feelings as I do. What do you think?

Q. What made you start using oil paintings? Please tell us how you became interested in painting and if you have any particular preferences for the art materials you use.

-When I went to see the Yasui Award Exhibition, I came across the work "Autumn Wind" by Tsutomu Fujii, which won an honorable mention, and was deeply moved by it. I was inspired by that style and decided to start oil painting.

I am a self-taught oil painter, so I am still experimenting, but I am concerned about the unevenness of canvas, so I paint on MDF boards. Since it is 2.5 to 4 mm thick, it does not take up much storage space, and it is cheap, so it is the perfect support for me. I use Holbein's regular oil paints and painting oil, and there are no problems with the protection. I find that watercolor brushes with short handles and soft artificial bristles are easy to use.

Although my paintings are far from the moving ones of Tsutomu Fujii's, in order to make my works easier for people to view, I use matte varnish to protect the surfaces and display them without using glass or acrylic panels in the frames.

Q. I have the impression that many of your works are realistic portraits. Is there anything that you consider important or pay attention to when searching for subjects for your work?

-Little girls are really cute. I'm drawn to their expressions and behavior. The best age is between 2 and 6 years old, before they stop wearing diapers and lose their baby teeth! They're really angels. Children never stay still, so I take videos or photos of them, and when I get home I look for things that look good for pictures and print them out. I draw based on those. My daughter is already an adult, so now I ask my acquaintances' children and grandchildren to be my models. I want to draw a natural atmosphere of everyday life, so I rarely ask them to pose on my behalf. I take hundreds of photos in about 30 minutes of shooting, but I only use about 5 or 6 of them.

At one exhibition, a stranger asked me, "What a cute girl. It looks like she has her mommy and daddy in front of her. Family love is the theme, right?" I answered, "That's right!" and we had a lively conversation in front of my work for a while. I intend to explore the "family love" that exists in everyday life.

Q: Your drawings are so intricately detailed that it seems like you must spend a lot of time on each piece. How long does it actually take to create a piece?

- I paint from SM to 50. I don't focus on one piece, but I work on 5 or 6 pieces in parallel as one series. I work on another piece until the oil paint dries to a certain extent, for example, the color of this outfit can be used in another piece, so I'll just paint it because it would be a waste. That way, the series is completed in about 3 months.

I keep a production diary on my computer using Excel, and the production time for this "Tag" project was 36 hours in total, from conceiving the piece to spraying the matte tableau.

Q. Do you have any plans for future exhibitions? Is there anything you would like to tell the readers of FROM ARTIST?

-I've put together a list of upcoming plans that I know about.

The 51st Modern Japanese Art Association Spring Exhibition April 8th (Mon) - April 13th (Sat) Tokyo Transportation Hall B1 Gold Salon No. 6 1 piece

The 3rd Power of Pictures and Words Exhibition 4/10 (Wed) - 4/16 (Tue) Matsuzakaya Ueno Store 7F Art Gallery 10 size 1 piece

Satoru Nogami Art Exhibition - Treasure 2024 - 4/26 (Fri) - 6/20 (Thu) Kazo Kaiseki Gallery Karan SM - 50th 28 pieces

23rd National 0/SM Public Competition 6/9 (Sun) - 6/22 (Sat) Shinjuku Sekaidou Building 6F Gallery Fontaine 1 piece

Hazuki Exhibition 2024 8/20 (Tue) - 8/25 (Sun) Kasukabe City Central Community Center SM - 50 size about 60 pieces

- There are lots of upcoming exhibitions! If you're in the area, please stop by.

Thank you very much for your time, Nogami-san! We look forward to your continued success.

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