Illustrator and print maker
Yoko Kataoka
Yoko has loved nature and drawing since her childhood and as time moved on, this passion brought her to live in a small village near Besalú. The journey began when she left her native Tokyo at the age of 18 and headed to Okinawa where, besides enjoying the tropical weather, she studied a traditional printing technique called Bingata which fascinated and keep practicing since then, already more than half of her life.
1. Nina: naughty and sweet kitty that is always close to me.
2. Products from garden: fresh eggs, fruit jams, vegetables, herbs, wooden buttons… they make me extremely happy and fill me up with good energy.
3. Printing tools: cutter, natural pigment colours, brushes, mortar and pestle. Most of my work is using Japanese traditional printing technique that uses natural materials and has warmth and richness of handcrafts. Although it takes time each process, I love doing it.
4. Organic soybeans: I use them for fixing colours on fabrics, and also for making homemade miso (fermented soybeans paste) every winter. Soybeans are translated literary as “great beans” in Japanese and maybe it is something that I as a Japanese can't live without.
5. Diary: I keep writing my thoughts and daily happenings frankly and informally since 12 years old, it helps me to view myself objectively. Now I have a second diary that records only about gardening.
6. Stencil prints: recently I started with my original patterns. Stencil is a very simple printing process and I do a workshop aimed to everybody, from kids to grandparents.
7. Sketch books, pencils and watercolours: they are my playground and playthings in everywhere and at anytime. It is the starting point of my working process.
8. Art work: printed by Brian McKenzie I bought it for myself in London and it encourages me everyday. It is great to own your favourite art work, they are alive and soulful, very different from just having a photo or a postcard of it.
9. My first story book: “El viatge a la Lluna” (Journey to the Moon) 2011.
10. Calendar 2015: my latest work for this brand-new year. It has very local and seasonal illustrations on each month. I am getting more sensitive to the cycle of nature since I live in rural areas and I would like to share it through this calendar.