Illustrators and Paris in May (4): Work and Life in France

I Prefer Things Closer to Illustration Than Heavy Paintings

— Japan, that’s Tokyo, isn’t it?

“Yes, in a town called Jiyugaoka. There are many cute shops, and many of them have a style that copies France as much as possible. I tried taking my postcards there to sell them, but… I think there are many people who have never been to France, yet they all have a French air about them. I thought it was quite impactful.”

— Did the postcard sales go well?

“Hmm. Since the unit price is small, it seems to be difficult to make a business out of it. Everyone has stopped writing postcards, haven’t they? Coming to France, when you visit a museum, you can see amazing art anytime, and I thought, ‘So this is what it’s like.’ Oh, is it free for students at the Louvre on Thursday nights?”

— Oh, is that so?

“I heard that.”

— There are always people lined up at the ticket counter, so I just buy mine from the vending machine. I wonder if I could have gotten in for free if I bought at the counter. The Louvre is beautiful at night, isn’t it?

“It is beautiful. And not too crowded.”

— Do you have any favorite museums?

“I like the Rodin Museum.”

— Is that because you like Rodin?

“I like the Rodin Museum. It has a garden, the building is nice, and I wasn’t particularly interested in sculpture, but when I visited the Rodin Museum, the marble sculptures are indeed incredibly beautiful. Rodin too… I think I like him. I didn’t have many opportunities to see his work in Japan.”

— Are there any other museums you like?

“I also like the Orangerie. I like the collection at the Orangerie. Picasso, Matisse, and so on.”



— Are Picasso and Matisse also your favorite painters?

“Yes. And Toulouse-Lautrec. I prefer things that are closer to illustration than heavy, oil-painting-like works. I’m not good at drawing in three dimensions. I was strongly advised against it in college, but now I consider it my strength. I think in France… in the West, there’s an emphasis on three-dimensionality. Perhaps it’s an innate sensibility.”

— Did you study art theory or anything like that in college?

“I did, but I wasn’t interested at all, so I don’t remember any of it. Maybe I just really wanted to draw. But people in the oil painting department at art universities tend to want to talk. When a painting is finished, everyone critiques it. I never understood that kind of lengthy discussion… Apparently, artists today need to be able to talk. I didn’t like that. Everyone else thought that drawing illustrations for money was a deviation, not real art.”

— I see. Are you working with watercolors now?

“Watercolors, pens, ink, and pastels. I don’t do oil painting at all. But someone in France asked me to paint a large picture to hang in their home, and I’m thinking maybe oil painting would be better for that. If it’s on paper, it needs a frame.”

— From what I’ve seen of your work, Kanako, it has a watercolor-like feel.

“Yes, even when I was painting with oils, it had a watercolor-like quality, so there wasn’t much point in using oils.”

— I imagine illustrations like yours can be done faster than oil paintings.

“They actually are faster. With oil paints, you have to wait for them to dry, and it’s hard to know when to stop.”

— Did you start drawing because you loved it?

“I was a child with no other talents. It was a process of elimination; I had nothing else. In college, I did illustration work as a part-time job, and I found that I really enjoyed it.”

— How much do you draw for work now?

“If you include very small, black-and-white pieces that can be done assembly-line style, I draw hundreds per month. In Paris, there are so many temptations, I want to go out right away, so work doesn’t progress easily.”

— What do you do when you go out?

“I go out to eat with friends, or go to events. I don’t do anything particularly special, but I wonder how long I can stay here, so I can’t just work all the time. I want to see everything. It’s amazing to see the same things in person that I’ve only seen in pictures or on TV. I’ve come to a place whose scenery I’ve seen countless times in photos and on television. Normally, I get caught up in daily life and tend to forget that I’m in such a beautiful city, but it’s wonderful to have those moments of remembrance.”

* Kanako Kokone’s Website
http://www.geocities.com/kanakoinhawaii/

Illustrators and Paris in May (6): Talk of Paris