By Reika Nishiyama For The North American Post
An exhibition of the work of artist George Tsutakawa (1910 -1997) just finished its run at the Bainbridge Island Museum of Art from July 1 until October 9.
Tsutakawa was born in Seattle. He moved to Japan when he was seven and spent his teenage years studying Japanese traditional arts with his grandparents in the Fukuyama and Okayama regions. After that, he returned to the Pacific Northwest with its abundant trees, water, and mountain ranges. He taught design and art at the University of Washington for 37 years.
He said, “Through my travels and my studies of traditional Japanese arts I was able to reaffirm my conviction in the Oriental view of nature which sees man as one part of nature, a part that must live in harmony with the rest of nature.”
At the exhibition, his unique sense of nature is evident in his sumi-e ink paintings. It can be said that his works represent his life both in Japan and Seattle.
Reika Nishiyama is a student in the International Business Professions (IBP) program at Bellevue College. Her interests include journalism and Japanese Americans.
