The concept for “god(s)” originated when I was commissioned by a Shugendo priest in Nara, Japan to portray the deity Zao Gongen. The priest had recently refurbished an enka-style house (traditional Japanese country architecture) and wanted to have a painting installed in the tokonoma (recessed alcove) instead of the usual calligraphic scroll of kanji characters 蔵王. Painting this fierce, blue-skinned and fanged deity whose wraithful demeanor was meant to vanquish evil thoughts and actions made me consider the graphic manifestation of the divine and its relevance in the 21st century. Working as the head of product design at a technology and entertainment company during the day, Hulu, and then spending my evenings painting and communing with the spirit of ancient forces led me to consider the digital divide between the RGB screen and the decidedly analog handling of paint to capture the totemistic spirit of the sacrosanct kami (gods).

The paintings will have aspects of both Japan and the West. I am half-Japanese and American and the works reflect the dichotomy of the two cultures: old and new, traditional and modern. The paintings are equally influenced by Yoshitoshi Tsukioki and Francis Bacon; Kosima Kojiki (manga artist) and Gaijin Fujita; John Cage and Gerhard Richter.