Toshiyuki Kajioka

Born in Tokyo in 1978. Kajioka majored in Japanese traditional painting at Kyoto University of Art and Design. He was attracted by finding out the essence of life when he saw waves of Sumida River. After he moved to Shiga, where his studio is located, he is absorbed in observing Ujigawa River and Lake Biwa. He stands for a long time as if assimilating oneself in a quiet space, feeling the flow of slightly moving wind and the sway of the moonlight. Those make his paintings represent a calm yet expressive world of water. The distinctive feature is to create layers of black with ink and pencil on smooth and rhythmical lines of pencil. This brings his own quaint world of water to his works.