I thought that was something only special people did. ~Pastel Art and Me (1)~

I am currently creating manga almost every day, but I was originally an analog artist.

This is the story of my encounter with "pastel art," which I have been engrossed in for over 10 years before I knew it.

I have loved drawing since I was a child.

After I started working, I gradually stopped drawing due to various circumstances.
I also love looking at art, so I go to museums.
Even when traveling, if there is an exhibition I am interested in, I will visit it. But I don't draw myself.
I no longer know what I should draw.
Those days continued.

I always had the feeling that I had left something behind somewhere.

Back when I was in the art club a long time ago, or when I saw exhibitions at museums, I used to think, 'That's nice, that's wonderful.'
But I immediately dismissed it. Things like that are for people who graduated from art school or have special skills. It has nothing to do with me... I was used to that feeling of resignation.

Time passed, and one day, while I was idly browsing the internet, a piece of art suddenly appeared on my screen.
A soft, fantastical painting in pastel colors.
I was shocked by a beauty I had never seen before.

That was also the first time I learned that there was an art medium called pastel.

Because I could draw a little, I had never had the idea of 'learning to draw' until then.
But this time it was different. A strong desire to try it myself welled up from within me before I knew it.

That was the beginning.

The more I drew, the more fun it was.
I learned from several teachers, and eventually, I became the one teaching.
I felt like I had gone to pick up the part of myself I had left behind somewhere.
I am drawing while connecting with myself.
For me, pastel art is that kind of time.

And then, something unexpected happened.

Encouraged by a teacher I was learning from, I applied to an international open call exhibition and was selected.
I, who back then stood in front of paintings displayed in museums and thought it was a 'world beyond my reach,' was selected.

Furthermore, I rented a gallery and held a solo exhibition.

Doing something for the first time requires a lot of energy.
I was very scared. I had to summon a lot of courage.
But when I tried it, I could do it.

Since then, I have been able to have various experiences.

Thanks to doing pastel art, there have been many moments where what I thought would be a dream forever became reality.

To be continued