My subject matter is sumo. Sumo was something I was fond of since childhood. I never thought of it as a painting subject until I took a figure drawing class. It seemed like I gained a different set of eyes.
I joined Paint Fit in the autumn of 2022 to explore different ways to connect with my familiar yet new subject. The sumo series is ongoing. My starting point was to capture the power and movement of the matches. Then I thought I would like to touch on different aspects of the sport. The more I became involved, the more it fascinated me. Colourful mark making canvases became paintings of “gyoji” (umpires).
How about the less colourful world of their practice sessions? I am currently in the middle of developing paintings of sumo practice. Whatever excitement I try to convey, it is important to me to do so while providing the viewer with an interesting surface, and I mean it in a literal way. The mark making exercises Emily lead us during Paint Fit have become great tools in this aspect.
