Collection: Tomomi Ono

“I have always had a strong feeling about nature. I believe the landscape and cultural background of my native country, Japan, have influenced my artistic views. I attach importance to space and simplicity, and I embrace a philosophy that celebrates the boundlessness of nature over the transience of individual life. All of my images imply a presence of life, and I want the viewer to feel it. 

In my recent works, I focus on that which is not immediately visible, such as under water or beyond the clouds. Water is essential to our lives and is also a part of our own selves. It continues to travel around the sea, the sky, plants, animals, and our bodies. We are a part of the current of nature. Lives continue to appear and then disappear, just leaving a subtle sign of existence. These images are my vision traveling through nature. As a part of this series, “Flower I” and “Tree” depict botanical complexity, drawing the viewer’s eye into their inner world.

“Looking Up the Rain” and “Looking Down the Rain” are diptych images consisting of two points of view. The rain drops from the sky fall onto the ground and make a puddle. The rain drops on these two images are mirrored. There is no indication of presence in these images, but there is an objective view between them as a sign of presence. I made “Looking Up the Snow” and “Looking Down the Snow” based on the same idea. The triptych “Woods—from Sky,” “Woods—from Earth,” and “Woods—Night” were printed from the same matrix, depicting different times and viewpoints. 

Creation is part of my life. It grows with me. Hand-drawn lithography is my artistic vocabulary. Again and again, I keep layering colors, just like adding brush strokes on canvas, until the image grows and fuses into my soul. My art is a gathering of my internal and external experience.” Tomomi Ono