Yuko Ishii is a self-taught artist from Japan who moved to Washington in 2001. She creates evocative mixed-media work that is a combination of photography, painting, assemblage and calligraphy. "In nature I feel invisible things and hear beautiful sounds which I have never witnessed in city life. My background as a musician and poet allows me to sharpen and expand a whole range of elements together, and intuit the spiritual matters more into my everyday life. My work has been evolving in myriad ways. By creating layers of imagery, calligraphy, and narratives, each completed work follows the elusive mysteries. The depth and texture mirror the influence of the elements, and are born in part out of my exaltation in unexpected happenings. Through an extraordinary journey of encounter and discovery, my work is meant to come to life not only in my mind, but also in the viewer’s mind. With interaction it begins to develop gradually and expresses many different narratives to each viewer’s imagination." - Yuko Ishii