My week starts with checking FASHION HEADLINE's Weekly Horoscope for the 12 Zodiac Signs. It's a weekly tradition for me to receive a fortune-telling message from Moon Lee and be comforted by the cute illustrations that accompany it. The carefree, adorable and unique characters for the 12 zodiac signs were drawn by Makiko Tanaka, a painter and illustrator based in Paris.
Original illustration for the fortune-telling page
She has worked on numerous illustrations, including a collaboration with Pierre Hermé Paris for Macaron Day 2017, providing the design for Macaron Baby, the symbol of the Aoyama store, and the Hanatsubaki GIF animation series Kuusou Gastronomy, published by Shiseido. However, she only began working as an illustrator around two years ago, having been a painter for nearly 20 years. It was after she moved to France in 2013 as an overseas trainee dispatched by the Agency for Cultural Affairs that she began working as an illustrator, and it seems that Paris was a coincidence that drew her to the city. She told us how she got started while holding some of her works in her home and studio in the suburbs.
Painter and illustrator Makiko Tanaka
"The landlord of the apartment I initially lived in had a lot of scraps of paper lying around, so I decided to make it a daily routine to draw one picture a day. At first, I drew portraits of women of various races that I saw on the streets of Paris. Then I moved on to objects, then pottery, and before I knew it, I was painting food. Within two years, I had accumulated over 1,000 pictures, and when I was invited to publish, I compiled a carefully selected collection of my work into "La collection gastronomique." This collection of works led to me starting receiving requests for illustration work."
Portfolio "La collection gastronomique"
From a young age, she has simply loved drawing. After graduating from art school, she attempted to hold a solo exhibition at a rental gallery, but found it difficult to sell any of her work. Many painters and artists give up halfway through, but she smiles and says, "I simply love drawing, and I've continued to paint following my heart," exuding the kindness that comes with years of experience. Things gradually started to change, and she has held exhibitions both in Japan and abroad, and in 2009 was selected for the Taro Okamoto Contemporary Art Award. Her works as a painter are so different in style that it is hard to believe they were created by the same person, from psychedelic oil paintings to fantastical, imaginary worlds drawn in monochrome with pencil. Her works, sometimes powerful and sometimes delicate, are all original, but they also have a complexity that is difficult to digest. This complexity is replaced by a mysterious charm, and seems to reflect her own personality, which is full of surprises.
At Makiko Tanaka's studio
"I think I was born with a punk spirit running through my blood (laughs). It's like a rebellious spirit. It's not that I'm dissatisfied or anything, but rather I'm trying to overturn one-sided images and stereotypes. I don't like things that are "~-ish," so I mix different elements into my work." It is the city of Paris, with its multicultural mix, that inspires her. Even before moving here, he would visit Paris every year, which fueled his creative impulse. His main interests are food and music, and whenever he finds the time he'll visit a restaurant that catches his eye or enjoy cooking at home, with music being an essential part of his daily life. "The charm of Paris is that you can experience different races and food cultures, with its Jewish, Arab, African and Asian quarters. Right now I'm hooked on Iranian home cooking. I love the mix of Paris, with its multinational mix, but also its beautiful cityscapes of Ottoman architecture." On weekends, he goes to markets and enjoys talking directly with producers about seasonal ingredients and cooking methods. When he hits a creative block, he heads to a park and refreshes himself with a walk in the woods. It seems that the ordinary, everyday life in Paris, spent at his own pace and in peace, is what fuels his creativity.
"As long as there is no exhibition, starting and finishing a painting is a personal effort on my own, and I can create as I please. However, illustrations are a type of product, and people are always involved in their creation. I've been painting alone for so long, so it's very refreshing and enjoyable to create pictures that can be loved by many people, and that I try to reach out to them. I'm happy that this will give people who I would never have met as a painter before, and who don't normally go to galleries, the opportunity to experience my paintings," she says, talking about the joys of working on illustrations.
"I want to continue creating things that "don't exist in this world." My true self as a painter is at the core of my being, so I try to incorporate the individuality I have cultivated into my illustrations." Her works as a painter can be seen at the "Artists of the Future: 20th DOMANI - Tomorrow Exhibition," which will be held at the National Art Center, Tokyo from January 13, 2018. Don't miss this rare opportunity to experience her work in Japan, and experience the different charm of her work from her illustrations. And let's start this week with her adorable illustrations of horoscopes.
Original illustration for the fortune-telling pageShe has worked on numerous illustrations, including a collaboration with Pierre Hermé Paris for Macaron Day 2017, providing the design for Macaron Baby, the symbol of the Aoyama store, and the Hanatsubaki GIF animation series Kuusou Gastronomy, published by Shiseido. However, she only began working as an illustrator around two years ago, having been a painter for nearly 20 years. It was after she moved to France in 2013 as an overseas trainee dispatched by the Agency for Cultural Affairs that she began working as an illustrator, and it seems that Paris was a coincidence that drew her to the city. She told us how she got started while holding some of her works in her home and studio in the suburbs.
Painter and illustrator Makiko Tanaka"The landlord of the apartment I initially lived in had a lot of scraps of paper lying around, so I decided to make it a daily routine to draw one picture a day. At first, I drew portraits of women of various races that I saw on the streets of Paris. Then I moved on to objects, then pottery, and before I knew it, I was painting food. Within two years, I had accumulated over 1,000 pictures, and when I was invited to publish, I compiled a carefully selected collection of my work into "La collection gastronomique." This collection of works led to me starting receiving requests for illustration work."
Portfolio "La collection gastronomique"From a young age, she has simply loved drawing. After graduating from art school, she attempted to hold a solo exhibition at a rental gallery, but found it difficult to sell any of her work. Many painters and artists give up halfway through, but she smiles and says, "I simply love drawing, and I've continued to paint following my heart," exuding the kindness that comes with years of experience. Things gradually started to change, and she has held exhibitions both in Japan and abroad, and in 2009 was selected for the Taro Okamoto Contemporary Art Award. Her works as a painter are so different in style that it is hard to believe they were created by the same person, from psychedelic oil paintings to fantastical, imaginary worlds drawn in monochrome with pencil. Her works, sometimes powerful and sometimes delicate, are all original, but they also have a complexity that is difficult to digest. This complexity is replaced by a mysterious charm, and seems to reflect her own personality, which is full of surprises.
At Makiko Tanaka's studio"I think I was born with a punk spirit running through my blood (laughs). It's like a rebellious spirit. It's not that I'm dissatisfied or anything, but rather I'm trying to overturn one-sided images and stereotypes. I don't like things that are "~-ish," so I mix different elements into my work." It is the city of Paris, with its multicultural mix, that inspires her. Even before moving here, he would visit Paris every year, which fueled his creative impulse. His main interests are food and music, and whenever he finds the time he'll visit a restaurant that catches his eye or enjoy cooking at home, with music being an essential part of his daily life. "The charm of Paris is that you can experience different races and food cultures, with its Jewish, Arab, African and Asian quarters. Right now I'm hooked on Iranian home cooking. I love the mix of Paris, with its multinational mix, but also its beautiful cityscapes of Ottoman architecture." On weekends, he goes to markets and enjoys talking directly with producers about seasonal ingredients and cooking methods. When he hits a creative block, he heads to a park and refreshes himself with a walk in the woods. It seems that the ordinary, everyday life in Paris, spent at his own pace and in peace, is what fuels his creativity.
"As long as there is no exhibition, starting and finishing a painting is a personal effort on my own, and I can create as I please. However, illustrations are a type of product, and people are always involved in their creation. I've been painting alone for so long, so it's very refreshing and enjoyable to create pictures that can be loved by many people, and that I try to reach out to them. I'm happy that this will give people who I would never have met as a painter before, and who don't normally go to galleries, the opportunity to experience my paintings," she says, talking about the joys of working on illustrations.
"I want to continue creating things that "don't exist in this world." My true self as a painter is at the core of my being, so I try to incorporate the individuality I have cultivated into my illustrations." Her works as a painter can be seen at the "Artists of the Future: 20th DOMANI - Tomorrow Exhibition," which will be held at the National Art Center, Tokyo from January 13, 2018. Don't miss this rare opportunity to experience her work in Japan, and experience the different charm of her work from her illustrations. And let's start this week with her adorable illustrations of horoscopes.
