my color

　Although the title of my work is “Untitled,” I put the name of the color in the subtitle. The names of the colors are taken from a book called “Color Handbook” published by Shogakukan in 1980, and I often use the book to prepare my paints.
　This book introduces the names of colors written in books ranging from the ancient “Nihonshoki” (Chronicles of Japan) to modern novels, and although some of the names are foreign words (katakana), the unique Japanese names alone have a certain charm and nostalgia.
　For example, there are 358 colors introduced, including wasabi-iro (horseradish green), nanohana-iro (light indigo), edo-murasaki (bluish-violet), azuki-iro (reddish-brown), shinonome-iro (color of east clouds), arai-gaki (color of washed persimmon), kuwa-cha (light yellowish green), akaka-ko (red scent color), and kogare-ko (scorched-earth color).
　It also lists the ratio of YMCB (K) blends, but color is something that can be perceived by including the materials, and no matter how much the color is as described, looking at a uniformly printed color is somehow lacking. Color is inextricably linked to its material.
　For me, painting over and over after coloring is the process of creating a work of art. The brushstroke changes depending on the motif, and the expression of the layered colors is different in each work, which has kept me working for many years.
　My theme of “color and expression,” as well as “material and form,” which are the supportive element, must come together to create “my color” and my work.
　Hopefully, you will be able to appreciate it in a way that goes beyond logic and affects your sixth sense.

Yoshihiko Kitano
Osaka Japan, 2021