Artist Portfolio: Koyamori
From China to Canada, this artist’s style is inspired by the meeting of the human mind and nature, learns Beren Neale
This artist’s style is inspired by the meeting of the human mind and nature.
Koyamori moved with her family to Toronto, Canada, on 16 January 1999, immediately after an historic winter storm had buried the city in four feet of snow. It was so bad the army was called upon to dig out the streets. She was 11 years old, and something about the epic force of nature has stuck with her since. “It was definitely a shocking introduction to Canada,” Koyamori recalls. “It was the first time in my life I saw that much snow.”
This was not the first big move in Koyamori’s life. Born in China, she followed her parents as they pursued studies and later jobs, first to Japan, then North America. In China, she lived in Changchun and Siping (Jilin province), jumping between the homes of both grandparents, as
her mum and dad established themselves in Japan. “I remember big family dinners, watching TV together, my grandfather’s bag of ginger candy… In Japan, I lived in Moroyama and Ogose (Saitama Prefecture). It was a mountainous and nature-filled area, so me and friends would often bike to nearby waterfalls, catch crayfish and frog eggs from ponds.”
It’s here that the first theme arises in the artist’s story: the looming influence and inspiration of nature in Koyamori’s life and work. It’s present in the artist’s most vivid recollections of childhood, in nearly every organic line in her art, even in her chosen nickname. “Koyamori means a small gecko,” explains the artist, who prefers not to use her given name or publish any photos of herself when promoting her work.
NOT QUITE A HOBBY
Perhaps oddly for a professional artist, growing up “art was always around, but more like an activity that didn’t quite reach a hobby,” says Koyamori. “In Japan’s elementary school, art is quite encouraged, so we’d have classes with a variety of activities such as watercolour, wood carving, clay and calligraphy, but I only started drawing in my own time in grade 10, in Toronto.”
Koyamori’s academic interests veered in other directions, before realigning to art. Subconsciously influenced by her mother’s career as a scientist, the artist initially studied psychology and biology, then took a detour into graphic design. “I was interested in human behavioural psychology and natural sciences, but really the biggest pull for me was the idea of a stable job and income in the future,” admits Koyamori. “At the time of choosing universities, I had only been drawing regularly for two years, and was entirely clueless about potential jobs in art, nor did I know anybody in the art world.”
The lack of confidence in my own abilities held me back from pursuing art as a career for many years
Soon after graduating, Koyamori secured herself a place in a teacher’s college, “but didn’t end up going,” she says. “I then I applied to study graphic design, because I figured it would allow for more artistic expression, and provide more reliable job prospects. The truth is, I really lacked confidence in my abilities to have an art career. But I feel that those experiences gave me an array of information to be inspired by and a lot of design skills, so I don’t regret it.”
FAILING TO GET BETTER
Perhaps the second overarching theme in Koyamori’s story is her fascination in the human psyche – not just in an academic sense, but also how the strengths and frailties of the human mind can bleed into action. “I find the human brain pretty fascinating; how it shapes our own world views, how small shifts in our cognition can create dramatic change in our behaviour.”
But sometimes, those pesky thoughts and feelings can lead to negative behaviour. “The lack of confidence in my own abilities held me back from pursuing art as a career for many years,” she admits. “I think because art was something so close to my heart, I kept trying to find other things that I could succeed in, so that I would not have to ‘fail’ at the thing I really cared about... I’m very critical and strict with myself, and it’s something that I’ve been trying to change in recent years.”
This thematic blend of the human mind and grandiose nature is everywhere in her art. It’s there in
the dreamlike use of colour, the stream of consciousness imagery filling every inch of paper, the often solitary human subject framed within a greater world of wonder.
“I tend to draw certain themes over and over again, maybe unconsciously,” she explains. “I like to explore the feelings of ebb and flow, of something impermanent that comes and goes. I often revisit the theme of nostalgia, where I try to paint scenes that are both alien but also familiar…”
After a moment’s pause, the artist continues: “How can one feel like they’ve been somewhere when they haven’t? What forms the familiar connection and feeling of belonging?
Life and death and ephemerality… it’s all there.”
Koyamori enjoys when things are not as they seem at first glance, perhaps like herself. “It takes time to see a multifaceted thing in its entirety, as often our understandings are coloured by our own perceptions.
I feel that throughout this exploration, it can often reveal new understandings about ourselves.”
QUEEN OF THE RUNWAY
So, what kick-started her love for art? Well, there were the intermittent art creations of her father, who, working at a lumber plant, was naturally gifted with his hands. “[He] likes to
I like to explore the feelings of ebb and flow, of something impermanent that comes and goes…
make things, and he draws very well even though not often – maybe once every decade he’ll doodle something,” she says. But actually it was a British fashion designer that really set something alight in Koyamori’s imagination.
“I remember feeling in absolute awe when I saw Alexander Mcqueen’s beautiful and haunting runway collections in my high school days,” she recalls. “I liked the themes Mcqueen presented in his collections. He used a lot of natural elements, and often it was quite haunting to see, because the pieces looked like they were perhaps from another realm, with a ghostly aura.”
Add to that the ever-present influence of manga and anime, and you’ve got some of the major touchstones in Koyamori’s art style. Bonobono, Yomawari Neko, the horror works of Junji Ito and Yo¯ suke
Takahashi, and the wistful world of Tove Jansson’s Moomin series. “I grew up reading manga and watching anime so it definitely influenced me a lot. I love the imaginative worlds and immersive stories. I love that more often than not, stories and illustrations are open to interpretation and are not spoon-fed. I enjoy worlds where it’s quite beautiful, but also dark and melancholy. Thematically, those are things I enjoy exploring.”
Like many of her more psychedelic pieces, there’s something untamed about her chosen art medium, something that she revels in. “I love watercolour the most, because it’s imperfect and chaotic in my hands,” she says. “Paintings never turn out how I picture them in my head. The way paint runs into each other and mixes into surprising colours make it feel new and fresh.”
The process of getting to the painting is often the same. “When feeling creative, I sit down and dump a bunch of idea sketches in my journal for later,” she says. “Once I feel like following through with a specific idea, I’ll consider what medium to
use to best illustrate it. Then I simply start the under-sketch with a pink pencil, erase the messy areas, and get to painting or inking. I work on one piece at a time usually, taking about one to two days to finish if it’s a full piece.”
The artist works with ink, Posca markers, sometimes alcohol markers, and pencil crayons. Maybe once a year, she’ll make something digital.
IF IN DOUBT, GRAFT IT OUT
As for everyone, 2020 brought with it some problems to overcome, and time to reflect for Koyamori. “The main issues I’ve had during Covid is maintaining a work-life balance. I live in a studio flat, where one room serves as a studio, ‘warehouse’ for my small business, and a makeshift gym… and I’m a bit of a workaholic.” But that intense year wasn’t sustainable, and working from 9am to 11pm every day, including weekends, has since given way to “restructuring my thinking, and allowing myself more rest,” she says.
Thankfully, her old love of nature has helped her shift work focus. “My neighbourhood is peak suburbia, as I live right across from a park, and everyday at 5am the birds wake me up with their yelling,” says. “In fact, there are some really nice parks within walking distance and recently I’ve been going to a small pond with many birds around it – blue jays, red-winged black birds, cormorants…”
Perhaps things have come full circle since those days of hiking to the mountainous ponds in Japan? One thing is for sure for Koyamori – it’s never to late to make the changes you want to make. “I attended an Junji Ito
There aren’t slivers of opportunity that if we don’t grasp, they’ll slip away from us forever…
TCAF Panel in 2019, and it was really interesting to hear him talk about shifting from dentistry to comic artistry,” she says. “It made me feel there’s not a ‘too late’ for pursuing what you want in life. There aren’t slivers of opportunity that if we don’t grasp, they’ll slip away from us forever. Sometimes we’re not ready, and are just incubating until we are and it’s okay to take that time.”