Kimiko Koyanagi
For the last forty years she has lived in Burlington, close to the shores of Lake Ontario, in Canada, but she was born and married in Japan – a third generation member of the Muraoka doll-making family of Tokyo, and her name is Kimiko Koyanagi.
Profile
Following the family tradition since childhood, for more than fifty years now, she has both mastered the intricate techniques of fashioning doll-like sculptures from Paulownia wood shavings and at the same time evolved a style of artistic expression which is unique to herself and profoundly moving to the sensitive observer. Kimiko Koyanagi’s works have been widely exhibited in Canada, Japan, the United States and Mexico, both in group and individual exhibitions during the last fifty years. She is probably the only person outside of Japan who uses this Chinese White (chalk) technique in creating her works and she has begun to teach a fourth generation in her chosen homeland of Canada. Given the diversity of her background and experiences, the character and forms of her creations are unlike anything native either to Japan or North America and must, therefore, be approached on their own terms as individual artistic expressions and not be categorized as ‘dolls’ or ‘sculptures’ in any generally accepted sense. Koyanagi’s works are, in my view, projections of the artist herself, of her various stages of individual development. They show, as only the greatest artistic creations do, the essence and spirit of the artist’s state of mind, with sublime simplicity of form, infinite grace of line, and profound economy of gesture and detail. They follow in the tradition of madonnas and icons rather than sculptures, celebrating beauty of form. As such theyf ill me with reverence, in the manner of a Buddha image which evokes the profundities of Buddhist wisdom; they are not portraits, but celebrations of the spirit of the artist, who with lines of infinite subtlety, shows us her innermost feelings and touches us in the core of our being. This makes her work timeless, matchless and flawless, and brings a touch of divine eternity to the mortal observer in our imperfect world.
Kimiko’s Doll Sculpture Making
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Kimiko’s technique is a lengthy painstaking procedure that is uniquely Japanese. She starts each piece by molding a rough unfinished form from a mixture of paste, rice paper and finely ground, paulownia wood shavings. After the work has dried and hardened Kimiko delicately carves and sands the doll to produce its final form. Several layers of white pigment made from powdered seashells are then applied as a surface finish. This surface is again sanded to achieve a refined smoothness. At the end of the two month process the doll is finally painted with a blend of seashell powder and water colour. As a finishing touch, the artist is very selective in adding delicate details which make each work both unique and individual in expression.
The first impression of the sculptured dolls is that they appear as forms of Japanese simplicity and beauty. However, beneath the angelic beauty and serenity of the sculptured dolls, Kimiko expresses her deepest emotions and philosophies. Through gentle features and subtle lines the artist conveys poetic expressions of sadness and hope. The sculptured dolls are a unique modernization of an ancient Japanese tradition that Kimiko uses in expressing her innermost thoughts and spiritual feelings.
