Masami Teraoka

Masami Teraoka

Born: 1936 in Onomichi in Hiroshima prefecture, Japan

Residence: Waimanalo, Hawai�i

Education:

B.A in Aesthetics 1954-59 Kwansei Gakuin University, Kobe, Japan B.F.A. & M.F.A.,1964-68, Otis Art Institute, Los Angeles

Media: Watercolor

Influences: Ukiyo E prints, elements and style of which he incorporates in his watercolor paintings.

Context/Themes/Subject matter:

In Masami�s own words:

In my career I have painted about issues from gay marriage, American style confessions on TV talk shows, recent priests' confessions, politics, international affairs, censorship, invasion of privacy, gender, sexual preference, religious discrimination, the Impeachment Trial, Viagra, and AIDS to air and water pollution, toxic shock syndrome, American fast food and culture invading the world (McDonald's Hamburgers Invading Japan, 31 Flavors Invading Japan), international tourism and terrorism, and culture clash and beyond to current series on today's mass media, cloning and internet culture (often as seen through the eyes of an up-to-date Adam and Eve).

Weaving news media, reality, fantasy, visionary, imaginary and otherworldly reality with humor, line, form and color, commentary, topicality, and a high level of aesthetics is a challenge. I try to focus on current issues articulated on a metaphorical level rather than recreating a mere copy of reality. Each narrative creates a fantastical aesthetic world where human folly and dilemma are expressed in such a way that the beauty and ugliness of human activity and psyche thrive in a complex pictorial recipe.

In order to articulate these varied issues my work has evolved from Japanese-based watercolor paintings to Western-based oil painting. What is consistent about these two obviously different styles is the conceptual aspect of narrative painting.

Ironically, to tackle contemporary issues, I reach into the past,

basing my early paintings on Japanese Ukiyo-e or wood block prints. My current work has taken another direction, melding western aesthetics, religious and iconic themes from Renaissance that I update as if continuing a cross-epoch conversation. What determines which of the media I work with is the content of the statement I want to address. I use two different visual vocabularies- one for each media- which like any language, encapsulate different outlooks and implications and are applicable in different contexts.