BCD#19

Blind Contour Drawing #19 – “Falling from the Sky” Tsuneko Kokubo 2013

Tsuneko Kokubo was born in Steveston B.C., in 1937, and raised in by her Grandparents during WWII in Japan. Returning to Canada in her late teens, she studied Fine Arts for four years at Vancouver School of Art (now Emily Carr University), focusing on drawing and painting.

She has worked extensively in theatre as a performer, dancer, costume designer and continues to do so.  In 1990, she became a full-time painter, working mainly in oils and acrylics.  Her life, like many other Japanese Canadians has been filled with hardship but she chooses to focus on beauty, especially from her garden and mountain home.  She weaves bright colours, images of plants and her life memories to create beautiful and often haunting stories on canvas.

Kokubo has had numerous exhibitions, and has paintings in private collections in Canada, Europe, Japan, Mexico and the USA.

Born: 1937, Steveston, B.C. Canada

Tsuneko Kokubo’s website:  tsunekokokubo.ca

You can learn more about Japanese Canadian artists in this wonderful directory: japanesecanadianartists.com

This is a beautiful short video that was made of Kokubo (Koko) that I would recommend watching:

https://tellingthestoriesofthenikkei.wordpress.com/falling-from-the-sky-tsuneko-kokubo-koko/

I inspire to see her work in person one day and hope to be painting well into my 80’s.

 

By Marlene Lowden

I'm an abstract artist and a down to earth yogi. I live on the Sunshine Coast of British Columbia, Canada.