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Grace

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FMV: $240

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Miwa Gardner, Grace, 2024, Watercolor, pastel on paper, 10.2 x 10.2 x 2 in

Miwa Gardner paints watercolor portraits that capture subtle expressions often overlooked. Growing up as a gaijin (outsider) in Japan, she learned kuuki wo yomu, the practice of reading the atmosphere-developing a heightened awareness of unspoken emotional cues as a way to navigate her surroundings. That sensitivity, deepened by years living in Singapore, Beijing, Hong Kong, Munich, and now Washington, informs the way she observes and translates emotion in her work.

She returned to watercolor in 2021 after the birth of her son, whose quiet expressions inspired her to begin again. Toddlers, in particular, move her; they experience deep emotion before they have words, and watercolor's transparency and fluidity allow her to explore that mystery.

Continuing to study and grow through workshops with artists such as Agnes Cecile, Kelogsloops, and Aine Divine, and influenced by painters including Christian Hook and Ali Cavanaugh, her style has evolved to render "unseen" tones in skin and delicate emotional details in the eyes-inviting viewers to pause and connect more deeply with one another's inner worlds.

Donated By Miwa Gardner