#002 Tokushima Sora Texture Artist
2022.09.26
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As soon as you step inside, you are surrounded by walls of various colors and patterns. All the walls have a different special coating on each surface.
The work was done by Sora Tokushima, representative of PAINT WORK nanairo, a painting company based in Ota-ku, Tokyo, who has been involved in architectural painting since he was 17 years old and started his own business seven years ago. Currently, the majority of his work is general architectural painting, but he would like to further expand his business into “special painting. While wall painting is done uniformly and evenly in a specified color, the company’s special feature is to add texture through the use of paint and creative coating methods. Tokushima says, “It has a high level of design and can be used to create many different patterns, so it falls between architectural painting and art.
When we visited for the interview, they demonstrated two types of special coating.
Creating realistic textures with sea surface, marble, and stone …… paint
First, the technique Mavericks, which depicts the sea surface on the wall. Using a U-shaped brush, two different colors of white paint can be applied at the same time. This is a coloring method that has never been seen before. After applying the white paint on the entire surface, another brush is picked up. Before the white paint dries, the artist moves the sand-like grains contained in the paint to create the appearance of waves on the surface of the sea. When asked about the key point in creating the pattern, he replied, “If the border between the colors is too clear, it will look artificial. I try to make it look natural,” he told us as he worked with his hands. In the process, the undulating waves were drawn.
The next technique he showed us was Rococo, which produces a marble-like finish. The blue board, which he had prepared in advance, was painted with two coats of paint. When we interviewed him, he was applying the third coat of paint, and after watching how well it dried, he polished the surface with an iron. As the surface was polished from various directions with weight on it, it gradually became shiny, and the pattern of the previous coat of paint came to the surface. The texture is exactly like marble. It is a beautiful finish that is hard to imagine from the matte impression it gives when the paint is applied.
Mr. Tokushima first encountered special painting about four years ago. He was attracted by the wide range of expression and the great impression given by the finished product, and learned the technique. He is now actively communicating through SNS and other media, and we asked him what he thinks about special painting. We asked him about the appeal of special coating and his vision for the future.
– First, please introduce yourself.
Mr. Tokushima: My name is Sora Tokushima. I am currently 25 years old and usually work as an architectural painter, but I would like to do something different and interesting in the future while also doing “special painting” using Italian paints.
Specifically, we are working on something called texture art, which expresses color and texture. It is very interesting to be able to express depth on a wall, so I am hoping to use this Italian paint to express various depths and a slightly old-fashioned feel.
What I want to create is “something amazing”. There are many people who are famous even though they are not very skilled painters, and I think that “something amazing” is the most amazing thing about art. I am not very good at it, but I would like to create something that makes people feel “something great”.
– How did you get started in textured art?
I found this out while working in architectural painting. In a high-rise building, sometimes only the upper floors have different wall specifications. I used these Italian paints to make that. I thought painting was just painting, but there is such an artistic way to do it. It’s interesting.
Of course, there are fine techniques that experienced craftsmen have mastered, but if you just paint normally, anyone can make it white or black. With textured art, however, you can create something that makes the customer think, “Wow, that’s amazing!
– Please introduce the tools you use for textured art.
The tools I use include U-shaped brushes, brushes, and irons. To be honest, I am not that particular about tools yet, so on the contrary, I would like to create various of my own specialties from here.
The distinctive U-shaped brush is designed to apply two colors at the same time, but it is not used for general painting. For example, when two colors need to be painted, such as white on the top and black on the bottom, it is basically not necessary to paint them at the same time, but just paint white, let it dry, and then paint black. Right now I just use it for a technique called mavericks, so I’ll think of another way to use it. On the other hand, if you have any interesting ways to use it, please let me know (laughs).
– Please introduce your works. We start with “Mavericks,” which depicts the surface of the sea.
This is like painting two different colors of white on top of the base paint with a U-shaped brush to give the tides a natural look. The key point is how to express the tides. In the beginning, I always tried to make the tides all connected. Now, I try not to connect them, but rather break them up or scatter them around with the brush. In any case, I try to create a feeling that no human intervention has been made. While working, I think the most important thing is to look at the work from a bird’s eye view. If you keep looking at it from up close, you won’t be able to see if there is something strange. So I take care to look at it from a distance.
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– Please also introduce “Rococo” which gives a marble-like finish.
The finish is achieved by applying layers of paint in various directions with an iron and finally polishing. This doesn’t have to be a very bad direction as long as you don’t make a mistake in the setup. But it can be done very beautifully.
– Can you tell us about your future goals?
We have only one employee at the moment, but our goal is to increase the number of employees and train the younger ones by building a facility where we can teach painting. I have been thinking that if we had a facility where we could practice and teach everything from general architectural painting to special painting, we would be able to speed up the learning of techniques.
My personal goal is to revitalize Kikaijima, a remote island in Kagoshima Prefecture, through art. I was born on Hachijojima, where my mother is from, but my father is from Kikaijima. The population of Kikaijima is declining, so to say that I am doing something for the island would be a bit of a stretch, but I want to bring “something amazing” to the world, and I will do it on Kikaijima. I’m going to do it within 10 years! I’m going to do it within 10 years!
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– Mr. Tokushima, what do you think should be done to make art more widespread and accessible?
I think that my idea of revitalizing the town of Kikai Island will also be a way to spread art. Various artists will come to the island and hold events that combine art and Japanese harmony. This will boost Kikai Island as a tourist destination. Japan will be enlivened. And art will also be enlivened. That is what I hope to do.
Texture art to achieve “something amazing”
Mr. Tokushima is thinking about using texture art to revitalize his hometown and train younger workers after encountering special paint in the architectural painting industry. He also has an idea to produce work clothes.
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In order to realize what they envision, they would first like to expand the awareness of special coating by focusing on social networking and collaborating with people and things in other fields. At the time of our interview alone, there was a steady stream of new things they would like to try, and we have a feeling that this number will continue to increase.
What kind of world will Mr. Tokushima create with his textured art using special paint? We would like to keep an eye on his future activities.
Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version)
