I live in the foothills of the North Cascades in WA,
       where I have been strongly influenced by the 
       ambience of the rural life. In nature I feel invisible
       things and hear beautiful sounds which I have never
       witnessed in city life.

       I have a keen interest in matters spiritualistic and
       psychological. When I photograph subjects, I try 
       to communicate their spirits and look for the
       unexpected imagery that emerges from the activity 
       of my subconscious psyche. It is the same process 
       as when I interpret the dreams – dream images are 
       to be understood symbolically; that is to say, one
       must not take them literally, but must surmise a
       hidden meaning in them. The dream opens the way 
       to inner sympathy and  intellectual comprehension.
       Therefore, something unknown is what I always 
       want to perceive through my art.

       My work explores themes of memory, dreams, 
       paradox and symbolism. I wish to draw the 
       viewers into my work, deliberately weaving many
       different narratives together. Each image contains
       some clues to the stories, but there is no 
       explanation of the drama unfolding. No one
       reveals the hidden stories because this is not only
       visual but also poetry which has to be inexplicable
       allusion. My goal is to capture special moments in 
       time and space that make one slip into a completely
       different world - images that evoke enigmatic
       emotions between real and unreal.
                                

                         
                          Process Statement


       My current artwork is created by combining 
       photography, painting, and assemblage. I use 
       the digital camera mainly to photograph the 
       subjects. Once in my computer I use Photoshop 
       to manipulate the images – I layer several different
       textures over the main image and blend them
       together.

       The images are refined and then printed on 
       watercolor paper, using a wide format Epson 
       printer with archival pigment inks. After printing, 
       I use charcoal and colored pencils to highlight,
          draw, and scribble down on the prints to make 
       them look more distressed and unique. Then I
          attach the prints onto panel, paint with acrylics, 
       and I coat the entire surface with wax or varnish.
       The wax gives the image a rich, translucent quality,
       and evokes a poetic and mysterious sense of nature.

       I also create boxes and doors to attach to the
       panel, then I put my assemblage work into each box.
       Antique bottles, drawer pulls, and painted wooden
       balls are often incorporated into my assemblage work.
      
       Each work is ornate, created uniquely by my
       methods, and is the only one of its kind.

            



        Yuko Ishii


                         my latest artist statement


                  Yuko's work and interview are
                  on Combustus Art Magazine's website!
 
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