Strawberry Fields

Painting as PhenomenonHideaki Fujimoto explores the possibilities of painting through a method that builds up the picture surface by layering and grinding acrylic paint. His compositions range from the representational to the non-representational, yet all share a common quality of color and matière.Born in Akashi, Hyogo Prefecture, Fujimoto developed an early fascination with vehicles and machinery that grew into a longing to "make things." This led him to AKASHI National College of Technology, where he studied mechanical engineering; his graduation research examined the wear of NBC cutting tools in metal processing, and the textures and imagery of metal he observed under an electron microscope during that research continue to inform his work today.While still a student, he grew increasingly drawn to design and graphic art, and decided to change course, transferring to the Department of Industrial Design (now the Department of Design Engineering), School of Engineering, Chiba University, where he studied design more broadly. For his graduation project, he worked in a fine art research laboratory, producing paintings.After graduating, he worked at a design office and gained other professional experience before once again deciding to pursue painting. He enrolled in the Department of Oil Painting at Musashino Art School, spending two years relearning the fundamentals of painting and completing the program in March 1997. He moved to Naha, Okinawa immediately afterward, and has been based there, continuing his practice, ever since.Having long been drawn to painting's layered structure, uniqueness, and physicality, Fujimoto arrived in 1999 at his signature technique: building the picture surface by layering acrylic paint and grinding it down with sandpaper. Since then, while continuing to explore a range of visual styles, he has consistently pursued what he calls the "layered magic" hidden within painting.In recent years, he has also actively presented and sold his work online, including through e-commerce platforms and art subscription services.