ARTIST STATEMENT

My work focuses on portraits of loved ones, friends, and other connections who have had a meaningful impact on my life. I am interested in capturing people in moments that feel personal, genuine, and sometimes unexpected.

I also paint myself in what might seem like ordinary situations. I strive to find something interesting or beautiful in these everyday moments and draw the viewer’s attention to them. Some of the scenes I choose are quirky or unconventional, but they often reflect experiences that are familiar and relatable. By painting them, I hope to make the viewer stop and notice something they might otherwise overlook.

I travel internationally quite often, and recently I have started painting scenes in different countries as I experience the sense of discovery that comes with travel. These paintings allow me to document my own experiences while exploring new places and cultures.

Another theme in my work is depicting people doing what they love. I especially enjoy painting artists, craftspeople, and other talented people in creative professions while they work in their own studios and personal environments. There is something meaningful to me about capturing creative people who are completely engaged in what they do.

My background in fashion and handbag design, where I worked for more than twelve years, continues to influence my painting. I still have a strong interest in design, composition, pattern, and clothing. I particularly enjoy painting folds, textures, and patterns in fabric and finding ways to incorporate these elements into my paintings.

Overall, my work is about people, experiences, and the small moments that make up everyday life. I use watercolor to capture these moments and the personal meaning they hold for me.

BIO

Japanese-American artist Aki Kano lives and works in Katonah, New York.  She earned her BFA from the University of Michigan School of Art and Design and an Associate’s Degree in Fashion Design from the Fashion Institute of Technology in NYC.  Kano paints herself, loved ones, and family members, exploring the complexities of the relationships, personalities, and everyday lives.  Kano finds beauty in ordinary, fleeting moments, using painting to draw attention to the quiet, unexpected beauty that often goes unnoticed.  She is a watercolor portraitist.

Kano had a six-page-long demo editorial in International Artist Magazine written about her watercolors titled “Ephemeral Moments” in 2024.  She has been well respected in the realism art world as the President of the American Artists Professional League.  Kano’s self-portrait “Tête-à-Tête” was shortlisted in the Ruth Borchard Self Portrait Prize competition and was exhibited at the Russell Cotes Museum in the UK in 2025.  Kano has served as a juror for the prestigious Spain-based Almenara Art Prize Competition since 2024.

Click the button below to see her detailed CV and exhibition history…

My uncle’s ink painting

My aunt’s calligraphy