In This Life > Artists > Kumiko S. McKee

www.kumiko-art.com
Paintings for In This Life

Biography of Kumiko S. McKee

Kumiko S. McKee was born in Japan and has been living in the United States since 1994. She started studying art from high school where she learned basic knowledge and techniques as a fine art major. After working as a display designer for two years in Tokyo, Japan, she studied painting at the University of Wyoming in the United States and obtained BFA degree in 2002.

She is mainly working with series of paintings that are in some way connected to her life and experiences. Her interest in other culture and art in different countries took her on travels across the world through Europe, Egypt, Israel, India, Sri Lanka, Nepal and southeast Asia during turbulent and historically significant political times which are clearly reflected in her artwork. To see other culture and communicate with local people at each location where she visited during her travels has greatly influenced her point of view and has led her to focus on cultural and political themes in her paintings.

She believe art is the “voice of the artist” and another language that artists use to speak their mind, how they see the world, and their point of view on life. Also, she believes art is a challenge to break down the norms existing in our everyday life by showing unique or different perspectives.

Her previous series were based on Japanese culture themes, which combine Western and Japanese traditions. Her challenge in these series was to show the beautiful elements of Japanese culture with the images in a way that people from other cultures could appreciate and make a connection with. Through viewing her paintings, the viewer gains a glimpse into a world they may know little about. She hopes her artwork will help people in the world to better understand and bring interest to the Japanese culture as well as the diversity and depth of Asian-Pacific culture.

Kumiko is currently working on the series of paintings for the exhibition “In This Life”. The current war in Iraq is the biggest issue facing the U.S. today and she hopes to communicate her point of view as a person from whose in from a different culture and who has the opportunity to visit the region. Her new body of work captures the reality of war with gripping human emotions and incorporates elements with symbolistic meanings.

Exhibitions:

2006

• “MOCA Studio Tour 2006” Preview Exhibition, Museum of Contemporary Art, Fort Collins, CO
• Women Artist’s Gallery Grand Opening Exhibition (The Feature Artist of August), Sarasvati Fine Arts Gallery, Loveland, CO

2005

• “MOCA Studio Tour 2005” Preview Exhibition, Museum of Contemporary Art, Fort Collins, CO

2004

• “MOCA Studio Tour 2004” Preview Exhibition, Museum of Contemporary Art, Fort Collins, CO.

2002

• First Place Award by "Vision", 27th A.J.S. Exhibition, UW Art Museum, Laramie, WY (Judged by Robert Knight, Executive Director of the Yellowstone Art Museum, Billings, MT)
• "KOTO" Solo Exhibition, UP Gallery, Laramie, WY

2001

• First Place Award by "Noh Theater Masks: Envy", 26th A.J.S. Exhibition, UW Art Museum, Laramie, WY (Judged by Gerry Riggs, Director of the Gallery of Contemporary Art at the University of Colorado, Colorado Springs, CO)

2000

• 25th A.J.S. Exhibition, UW Art Museum, Laramie, WY
  (Judged by Ron Judish, Director of the Ron Judish Fine Arts, Denver, CO)
• "Time on the Earth" Solo Exhibition, Gallery 234, Laramie, WY

www.kumiko-art.com

Paintings

Power on the Earth Oil painting with newspaper collage on masonite 28 x 48 inches 2005	Memory Oil painting on masonite 20 x 40 inches 2007	Novus Ordo Mundi Oil painting with newspaper collage on masonite 60 x 40 inches 2006
Living in the Dead Zone Oil painting with newspaper collage on masonite 60 x 40 inches 2006	Lost Oil painting on masonite 20 x 40 inches 2007