Meet The Enchanted Visions Artist - Mayumi Ogihara

Spirited Away.  This is my first piece I created for EV. The Japanese word for Spirited Away is Kamikakushi which means “hidden by God”. For this theme I drew a woman who is trapped in between this world and another world, wandering in a place where it is so close yet far away from the reality. By drawing a part of her transparent I tried to depict uncertainty, fragility, and her feeling of lost.

Dreaming on Aquamarine Tides.  I’m not a good swimmer but I love the feeling of calm and tranquility of being underwater. If I were a mermaid, I would float and dream of dreams… just like this merman. I hope the viewer would feel peacefulness from this drawing as well.

For this theme, In Between, I decided to draw a piece that contains only black, white, and shades in between. It was inspired by classic Hollywood portraits which showcase the beautiful depth of grey scale. I wanted to challenge myself to create a drawing that requires a good use of value changes.

EV has a monthly auction of the work created.  Do you sell your work there?

Yes, do. I offer both originals and prints.

Are there challenges knowing you are one of many artists creating art for the same EV theme?  Does this knowledge hinder you or give you momentum when creating for the monthly theme?

I think it’s inspiring, but I never found it’s hindering. It’s very fascinating to see what each artists create for the same theme. It helps me to open my mind as well as my imagination to grow.

Is your art hanging or displayed in your home.  If so, where and how?  If not, why not?  What type of art (besides your own) hangs on your walls?

I have “Through Innocent Eyes” (and a few other drawings) in my living room so I can see them all the time. This piece was inspired by Sarah McLachlan's amazing song "Ordinary Miracle”. The world is full of wondrous things through children's eyes, and they are right here around us, but many adults take them for granted because our lives are often too busy to take a moment to enjoy them. As an artist it’s very important to have ‘innocent eyes’ to see the wonder and let your heart flutter with joy from the beauty of them. This drawing is there to say that I still see magic and miracle, and that’s why I am a fantasy artist.

Describe (and provide a photograph if you like) of your studio/work space.   What would you change about it, if anything, for it to become your dream work space?

I have a small drawing desk in my living room. Graphite pencil artists don’t require much space since we only need a pencil, paper, and an eraser, but sometimes I feel I need a little too space now that I started to use coloured pencils, pastels, and some acrylic paints. Hope I can make some changes to improve it in the future.

"Paint" a picture of yourself for us using 10 colorful words to describe you, the total picture.

Creative, perfectionist, clumsy, short (151cm since I was in grade 8), thoughtful, happy, emotional, stubborn, introverted, patient.

If you would like to see more of Mayumi's art, you can find her at the following links: