David Stanley Hewett is one of the most well-known foreign artists in Japan. He became interested in Japan as a young man through his study of karate and ceramics in New York and later majored in Japanese history at the University of Massachusetts and Hokkaido University. Hewett first came to Japan in 1988 and has made it his home.
Since when do you paint and what are your favorite motives?
I grew up in a family of creative people. My mother is a painter and I spent a lot of time in her studio as a child. From an early age I was interested in Japanese Pottery and that interest led me to live and work in Japan for the past 31 years.
When you create a new work, how do you proceed? What comes first?
I usually have an image in my head or an idea or feeling I want to communicate visually before I begin. Often the work will evolve a bit as I am painting so the final result will be a bit different from the initial image.
From what do you get your motivation?
I can't imagine not painting or designing. It is in my DNA and requires no motivation. When I wake in the morning my mind is already humming with ideas and energy to create.
Your life without art would be...
... short.
What's the best art venue in your city right now?
I live in a small village in the mountains of Nagano called Karuizawa. My studio is situated in the middle of nature and I love to take walks around the studio for meditative breaks before getting back to work in the studio.
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