Art in the Family

Both of my grandfathers, Seiki Shuto (top) and Akira Chiba were artists. It is rumoured that neither cared for the other's art. My grandmother Yuki Shuto was a busybody who kept the house in order. My mother says I'm just like her, but I don't see it...

I'm a combination of my mother and father, both also artists. My mother is a watercolorist who cannot keep to a daily routine. My father (who dabbled in pastels but is primarfily a flutemaker) keeps to the exact routine week in and week out. They are both fighting inside me every day.

I own only one small painting by Seiki-ojiichan. This is of "akebi" a wild Japanese fruit. Painted on October 1st, Showa 38 (1963).








This is my hibiscus. Drawn on July 30th, 2000.