Visual Storytelling
If you find yourself engaged in conversation with the figures in Yone Makino’s imaginative portraits, do not be alarmed, it’s all part of the artist’s process. Every piece begins with words, by using them to find connection and friendship with volunteer models, and it ends by saying what words cannot express with the tip of a paintbrush. Nothing gets lost in translation in Lima, Perú- based Makino’s dazzling and imaginative portraits. The artist reshapes our view of reality the way a storyteller twists a plot, the works will always both surprise you and draw you in deeper.
Part One: Who is Yone Makino?
Question #1: Who are you?
“I’m a painter based in Lima – Peru, studying visual arts specializing in painting, so this is the medium I work the most. I try to paint every day in my home studio, some days friends come by and I paint them. I enjoy coffee and natural light. Somehow I have a necessity of connection with nature and to live my spirituality in my day by day. I see all my work is influenced by this last fact.”
Question #2: Who are you as an artist?
“As an artist, I see myself as a painter. My education is based on fine arts, therefore I respect and admire the study of drawing and painting. My work has its roots in naturalism style but changes in the process, my work is oriented also to tell a story through the elements of painting: light, color, and texture. I usually explore the representation of the human figure and the experience of modern life.”
Question #3: What motivates you to create?
“I try to keep myself curious about life. I see the living experience as a detonator for creative ideas and wonders. I see art as a way to send a message without words since sometimes words seem limited and easily misunderstood. Paradoxically, words are also an important element in my painting because it evidences the potential of visual language. I see words and letters as abstract elements that can nourish the visual message in the painting.”
Question #4: What has led you to this point in your life?
“I am just living.”
Part Two: A Nonlinear Process
What is your artistic practice?
My work centers in figurative painting. Sometimes I work with people who pose for me, usually, they are volunteers who become friends while the work gets done. I also work with the help of reference from photographs I take, some of them are scenarios created by me and others are random street photos. In my process, I initiate with sketches, trying to conceive forms and ideas for future painting. I see the creative process as a nonlinear orientation, so I try to reinvent in concepts and explore with mediums.
Mixed media over canvas
100×80
2020
Oil on canvas
140×120
2019
Oil over canvas
100×140
2019
This portrait is two photos taken by me in the studio. The model is a volunteer. We ate breakfast and had a good time talking.
The painting is about transition and comfort
mixed media over canvas
70×50
2019
oil on canvas paper
29×16
2019
self-portrait with my cat in the studio. The painting is actually a photo taken by my partner.
Where/ How can Vacant Museum viewers see more of your work and where can they purchase it?
Message to yoneemakino@gmail.com me for a portfolio or send me a DM on Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/yone.makino/
I accept commissions for drawings and paintings.