Meet Audrey Kawasaki

I stumbled upon awesome artist Audrey Kawasaki a short while ago and fell in love with her work immediately.  There's something so beautiful, flowing, and languid about her dreamy female-scapes, painted with oils on pale wood, which celebrate women gorgeously and sensuously, but with the utmost respect.  I love how she fills the canvas with just the right amount of near-realism, abstraction, and empty space.  And those pixie-ish faces; just so charming.  Check out her website and her blog for more views of her wonderful, wonderful work. 

I'm part of a Favorite Artist swap at illustratedATCs.com and I've chosen Audrey as my artist.  So hopefully I'll have a big stack (it's a big swap!) of Kawasaki studies/reproductions/inspired-by art cards featuring her beautiful stylings of my own within the next few months.  Whee!

Comments

[Veronica]

well, ....... beauty is always in the eye of the beholder. This being probably her nicest in colour and detail... drawing us in, as it were. But...

Once my eye goes past the beautiful colour, the first thing that jumps out at me is the pipe... and the drugged out look of her eyes. Totally "smoked up"

Most of her work is drug and sex trade inspired; kind of sad, but perhaps she feels the need to express it somehow.... ... personally, I have trouble seeing it as respectful to women... but from the art point of view I guess it has much merit.

Not to make negative comment Shelli...but as you know... art is such a personal thing... I do love the colours, the detailed drawing, the embellishments, her hair ,. etc...but just can't get past the drug thing I guess.

[Shel]

How interesting! I totally respect your comments and welcome your perspective. Personally I don't view her work that way at all and rather think of it more as sensuous and the expressions she uses, languid. But perhaps it is about drugs and sex, rather than contented sensuality and a relaxed state of mind. Drugs and sex lead to those outcomes, right? :) I guess I'm more enamored of her soft illustrative style and the way her images are not overtly pornographic or even graphic, for that matter, but rather, softly celebrate the feminine form as something flowing and organic. But that's what makes art, art; the interpretative quality, and you're right. That's unique to each person.

[Bonnie]

Well I understand that everyone has a different take on art. For myself I choose to find art that makes me feel good. This artist seems troubled. Each piece as the previous person said seems to portray very sexual and drug induced people. I may not be an expert when it comes to art, I only know what makes me feel good and these pieces made me question what this artist is trying to say.....

[Shel]

I'm glad you're questioning what the artist is trying to say. That's my point; that's what makes art, art... at least in part, anyway.

As for "each piece" portraying sex and drugs, well, just look at the second Kawasaki image I posted. I don't see any sex or drugs indicated there; just a pretty abstraction of a woman, drawn with flowing lines on wood.

And all this begs yet another question... What's wrong with portraying sex and drug use, anyway? I'm not being defensive nor wanting to defend Audrey Kawasaki, even. I'm just saying, questions are good! And this is a good one, too. IS there something "wrong" with drawing nude women standing in proximity to one another? Does that necessarily imply SEX IS HAPPENING? And IS there a problem with drawing people languid and relaxed? Does that tell me about Audrey being "troubled" and about her feeling about drugs... or does that tell me, actually, about YOU (you, meaning anyone who views Audrey's work.) ???? Maybe the artist simply finds women decorative and beautiful and thinks of them as content and happy in their skin, and wants to celebrate that in her work.

All of this is excellent food for thought. I'm smiling big, and glad people are thinking about art. That's a good thing!

[bee]

"Does that tell me about Audrey being "troubled" and about her feeling about drugs... or does that tell me, actually, about YOU (you, meaning anyone who views Audrey's work.) ???? Maybe the artist simply finds women decorative and beautiful and thinks of them as content and happy in their skin, and wants to celebrate that in her work."

couldn't agree more with that.

her works are beautiful.

i've always felt that the judgement of art tells us so much more about OURSELVES than it does about the actual artist's original feelings while making a piece, and it seems that most artists agree.