Bodhisattva

Concept

Poet and painter Hiromi Watanabe (a.k.a. Yuri-Yo) creates artworks that explore themes of healing and fantasy. Primarily watercolor on paper, Hiromi recently in 2023 found joy in sketching the performances and daily live delivery of musicians she met through exhibiting her paintings at live music venues. Hiromi is a contemporary artist from Tokyo, Japan and a graduate of Kwansei Gakuin University. She won the 6th Star Birth Grand Prix for her "Hiro Yamagata Process" and was also a finalist in the 2021 CFA contest regarding her exhibit at the Spectrum Art Fair with World Wide Art in Brooklyn. In 2021, Hiromi also won a finalist award in the 47th International Artavita online art contest. She has participated in over 120 group exhibitions, including 14 solo exhibitions and shows abroad in four countries. She has exhibited her work internationally. Hiromi is also a poet and the author of the poetry collection "Songs for That Person," which includes the poem "Thank You for Being Born," available at ePhoenix.co. 2022 NextPublishing Authors Press published her art book "Watercolor Croquis: Painting with Free Colors" Published. A recurring theme in her paintings is the "smile," which for her represents a painful experience from her past. The artist suffers from myasthenia gravis (MG) and has faced death in the past. It is also related to bitter memories from her school days when she was not allowed to express her feelings. It was a very painful experience and she seemed to despair of living at the time. After undergoing treatment and rehabilitation, Hiromi began to think positively, saying, "If I can help others who are going through the same painful experience as I did," and she was able to create art that provided healing. In 2023, Hiromi illustrated her third picture book, "The Story of the Rose Tree," written by Eyama Komomo and published by Nicomo. Hiromi has published three illustrated picture books and has worked on a total of 15 books with illustrations and poems.