STATEMENT:
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I am a multidisciplinary artist based in Iowa and Los Angeles. My paintings blend elements of Northern Renaissance art, mythological folklore, and religious imagery, incorporating historically significant mediums. I use both the materials and the subject matter to explore the relationship between place, culture, and storytelling.
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My imagery is drawn from personal experiences, relationships, and travel. As a descendant of European pioneers and the parent of a Japanese American daughter, I am deeply interested in the connections between diverse cultures and disparate times. My work specifically examines the intersection between East and West and how the legacies of early modernity continue to shape contemporary American society.
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I work on wood panels sourced from the same Bulgarian forests—forests that once provided materials for 15th-century artists. My drawings are created using silverpoint, a technique that evokes the precious metals that once drove early economies. I then layer egg tempera, an ancient medium made from egg yolk and pigments sourced from places as diverse as Mount Vesuvius and 19th-century factory ruins. To finish my pieces, I use natural materials like beeswax and purified lac, a resin produced by female insects. My recent drawings on unstretched canvas are inspired by the covered wagon my grandfather and extended family used to settle the Midwest.
Creating art is a meditative practice, one that allows me to explore the intersection of ancient traditions and contemporary issues,
​USA b.1973
Lives and Works in both Los Angeles and Dubuque, IA
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EE Kono’s Artwork explores, history; both real and imagined. Her vibrant egg tempura paintings and large monochromatic oil and ink drawings create a personal mythology that incorporates symbolic flora, fauna, and figures. A world traveler, Kono’s practice is specifically interested in place; how place holds stories through materials; how the land influences the lives that pass through it; and how, over time, those lives influence the future. Kono favors a slow meditative process using materials and imagery selected for their layered significance. Fascinated by the interaction of diverse cultures, her work includes art historical references from both Europe and Asia with animistic elements universal to traditional arts.​​
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A self-taught painter, Kono studied art history at the University of Iowa (Iowa City, IA) and the University of Hull (Kingston Upon Hull, England). She has also studied traditional egg tempera techniques under the guidance of artist Koo Schadler. Kono’s work has been exhibited internationally and in notable venues, including solo exhibits at the Dubuque Museum of Art, La Luz de Jesus (Los Angeles, CA), and Gallery 825 (Los Angeles) As well as group exhibits at Riverside Art Museum (Riverside, California), FORMah (NYC) Modern Eden (San Francisco, CA), Beinart Gallery, (Melbourne Australia). Her paintings have been seen in Beautiful Bizarre Magazine, American Art Collector, Arts to Hearts Magazine, and Juxtapoz magazine. Additionally, she is an award-winning author and illustrator with over a dozen books published by major trade houses. Her book illustrations are in the collection of the Mazza Museum (Findley, OH)
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