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About The Artist
Junko Otsu is an incredibly skilled and gifted artist. Her work shown on this website reflects both her artistic and personal charm.
[Junko's work may be seen in the 'portfolio" section of this website.]
Junko's extraordinary works of art are unique in the way her distinctive and diverse styles naturally grow from the subject matter of her paintings.
A fine example is the environmental triptych, "Get Out!", seen at the bottom of this page.
"Get Out!" portrays the gradual ecological demise of a bird by using three styles; the strong bird in 2008 (realism); the unhealthy bird in 2050 (cubism/sharp abstract); and the deteriorating bird in 2100 (soft abstract).
In contrast to the dire effects of pollution, Junko's colors and images of the bird leap off each canvas with a brilliance that belies the bird's evolving condition.
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Born in southern Japan. Her home town, Ibusuki, is very beautiful, medium-sized city, known for hot springs and sightseeing. Her vision and painting are strongly influenced by the exquisite and quiet natural environment of this background.
New Romance
Following her move from Japan to Texas, Junko's earliest paintings represented what she called "New Romance", merging her love for both the Japanese and Western cultures. She expressed her personal calmness and happiness in these traditional works.
She says, "there is a Japanese proverb Yohaku no Bi (Beauty of the Blank Space). Japanese think the blank space in the painting has and signifies something more to the viewer. So that I think the blank space in the painting is also important, because people can imagine, think, feel something more through the blank space in the painting."
At the same time, this newer body of work also conveys solace that she said "would make me very happy if my painting can heal the pain that unhappy people suffer. This is my dream."
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Eventually, her accumulated intercultural experiences from the combined cultures further influenced her perception.
As a result of moving to the United States, her painting styles began to evolve and encompass a variety of stronger, more kinetic styles, including cubism. After 10 years in Texas, she continues to explore abstract possibilities.
Wine Botttle People Series
Music and dance, especially jazz and classical, are major inspirations for Junko's artistic expression. It was while listening to live music, particularly jazz, that Junko's vivid imagination envisioned the "Wine Bottle People", "Wonderland", and "Jazz Player" series.
Her delightful "Wine Bottle People Series" and the more serious musician portraits grew out of her love of these art forms. The merger of genres is especially clear in the wine bottles which become people - dancing, performing and playing - sharing both fun and heartwarming stories with the viewer.
Wonderland Series
Junko further explores the influence of music with her award-winning "Wonderland Series" in which she whimsically expresses the joy felt when performance, people and nature interact.
An examination of these paintings reveals the spirit of improvisation. Wave-like backgrounds become the motion of music or an atomosphere that swirls around the characters. Music, itself a fluid process, becomes a stream flowing among the people and spaces, bringing them together and connecting them.
Jazz Player Series
Junko has an intuitive ability to produce paintings of different styles simultaneously.
Her impressionist style "Jazz Players Series" are often painted soon at seeing the musician in live performance, while at same time working on other paintings already in progress.
The Bird Triptych
Get Out! (2008)
Realism
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Get Out! (2050)
Cubism
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Get Out! (2100)
Abstract
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All artworks displayed on this website are copyrighted © 2023 Junko Otsu.
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