As a creative mastermind behind the golden leaf and kimono-inspired designs, Kyoko Takeuchi specializes in showcasing her emotions and talents through her artwork. Growing up in Gunma, Japan, Kyoko has always loved fashion design and decided to pursue it as her career: realizing that it wasn't her interest anymore, she later found the details of a kimono and art styles fascinating. Along her journey, Kyoko found herself in Atlanta, GA. She grabbed a canvas, black paint, and gold leaf and started painting. The piece "The Emotional Stem" represents her overcoming the fears, heartbreak, and times of her life when there was no light at the end of the tunnel in sight. In this particular piece, Kyoko added kimono-inspired details, including the lines and patterns of the kimono, to return to her Japanese roots. In Kimonos, there is a lot of negative space between features in the art. To her, in The Emotional Stem, the blank space exhibits the emptiness she experienced. You can find Kyoko's unique artwork in many art galleries and public spaces around Atlanta, such as Gallery Anderson Smith, NAGOMIYA, and Chattahoochee Food Works. Kyoko was a featured artist in the Atlanta Magazine Home in the summer of 2023. Kyoko continues experimenting with different modalities and colors while staying true to her Japanese heritage and evolving as a person and an artist. Instagram: @kyoko.takeuchikyokotakeuchi.com