Etsuko Ichikawa Statement Biography Paintings

"I was born and raised in Tokyo, Japan, by parents who are interested in both art and craft. My father is a tailor, and many of his clients are artists or craftsmen. As a child I was always thrilled when my father took me to the artists’ studios for fittings - I can still remember the smell of oil paints at a painter’s atelier. I went to art school from junior high school through college, and received a BFA in painting from Tokyo Zokei University in 1987.

I didn’t make any art for several years after getting my degree. Instead, I focused my seeking on spirituality. It was an interesting period of my life, and has been reflected deeply in my work. After returning to art-making, in 1991 I began to study glass blowing on the small island Noto, in the Sea of Japan. I was so attracted to glass as a medium that in 1993 I moved to Seattle to pursue it. I worked for Dale Chihuly as a studio assistant, and later as an exhibition coordinator for Asia - work that supported me financially as I got settled in the United States. Since 2003 I have been working as an artist full time.

In 2005, I had an opportunity to show my work in Miami during Art Basel with the art collective SOIL. That opened up many doors for me, and beginning the following year my work was shown in galleries throughout the United States. Many opportunities have been given to me, including commissioned projects overseas, museum exhibitions, artist residencies, and national publications.

I maintain a studio in Seattle and enjoy my life with my best friend and husband, Michael, who is also an artist."

Etsuko Ichikawa
October 2009

My work is a continuing investigation of what lies between the ephemeral and the eternal.

Moment and memory, absorption and evaporation, light and shadow are some of the triggers that inspire me and relate to my work. My “glass pyrographs” are made by drawing hot molten glass, which is one way to capture and eternalize the immediacy of a moment, while my hanging and floating installations are about ever-changing states of mind.

Some of the mediums that I work with are glass, fiber, and video, and the scale of work varies from small two-dimensional work on paper to large-scale installations.

Born and raised in Japan and having lived in the United States for over the past fifteen years, I recognize my dual cultures as defining influences and psychology as my primary source of inspiration.