You may have seen Aki Sogabe's work, which cuts out the scenery of Washington State with a simple touch that is reminiscent of Japan, such as the beautiful Mount Rainier and the Space Needle peeking out from behind the cherry blossoms in full bloom. Where does the creativity of this artist representing Seattle come from? We will explore what goes on behind the scenes of his work.

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Art always nearby

"I never thought I would or could become a professional artist," says Aki, but art has always been a part of her life.

Born in Shizuoka Prefecture, Aki grew up carefree as a child, overlooking Mount Fuji. Being an active girl, she often played with boys. She was also good at drawing, and would sketch local scenery, or read and imitate her favorite manga, such as Tezuka Osamu's "Ribbon no Kishi." There is an anecdote that gives a good glimpse into what it was like back then. "Once upon a time, I tried to imitate the Choju Jinbutsu Giga painting of a rabbit and a frog wrestling on the sliding doors of our house. But instead of getting told off, I wasn't told, 'You're good at it, Aki-chan.' I remember thinking it was really funny."

Aki eventually found employment at a genetics research institute, a far cry from art. She began working as an assistant to a professor of human genetics. She then accompanied a researcher at the University of Hawaii to Hawaii, where she met a Japanese-American man, whom she later married.

She lived in Singapore for two and a half years from 1974, when her husband was posted overseas. Standing next to her is her eldest son, Steve (who was two years old at the time).

Her husband worked for a shipping company, and when he was posted to Singapore, Aki found herself living abroad for the rest of her life. As she struggled to raise her children overseas, art remained a constant source of comfort. "Before I got married, I learned flower arranging, which was becoming popular at the time, and got qualified. In Singapore, I have fond memories of always interacting with the children in my neighborhood, drawing pictures for them and making flowers for them."

Then, Aki received an offer from a local department store to sell flowers. Things progressed smoothly, and she started making and selling around 300 bouquets. However, Aki always liked making little things here and there, so she only did it as a hobby because she enjoyed it. "I never thought I'd become a professional. Well, raising children was tough, too," she recalls, laughing.

A life-changing experience at the dentist

In 1978, he moved from Singapore to Seattle, where a series of unexpected events would drastically change his life.

The only things that remain of the paper cuttings he made as a hobby are photographs. "It seems that he liked drawing people at the time."

It was around the time he started paper cutting. "At first it was paper cutting. But it's so detailed. I got tired of it and started paper cutting (laughs)." He was impressed by Kiyoshi Yamashita's work and thought it was fun, so he showed us his paper cuttings from back then, and was astonished at their level of completion.

He says that his paper cuttings are heavily influenced by the works of Jiro Takidaira and Chinese paper cutting crafts, and artistically, by Katsushika Hokusai. "When I first saw Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji, I wondered how someone could draw such pictures. Hokusai was also a manga artist, and his subtle facial expressions and body postures were truly wonderful, and I learned a lot from him."

It all started with a casual conversation in the waiting room of a dental clinic. "The receptionist said that her hobby was watercolors, and when I replied that I also do paper cutting, she said, 'I've never seen anything like that before, bring it next time.'" The next time she visited the clinic, Aki brought one paper cutting and one collage. The dentist's wife and a man selling dental equipment happened to be there.

"His wife asked, 'How much is this?' I quickly replied $50, and both she and the man bought it. Wow, it's actually going to sell... My heart started beating fast. As I was leaving, the lady at the reception desk said to me, 'You should draw some art. It'll sell.' I guess it was her encouragement that made me become an artist (laughs)."

However, Aki told herself, "It's rare for a painting to sell. I shouldn't get too cocky." At the time, Aki was still working as an artist and teaching Japanese at a language school, and struggled to balance her work with childcare. "I think now that I was able to do it because I was young, and that I worked really hard. My children were so happy when I received the award."

A fateful encounter leads to becoming a picture book illustrator

Luna, a miniature husky, is the pet dog of her eldest daughter, who lives in the state. Her daughter is currently an art teacher at a junior high school, and she has inherited the artistic bloodline.

Aki, an award-winning picture book illustrator, also had a sense of fate as to how she first got involved in creating a picture book.

At the time, a member of the artist group I was a member of, the Eastside Association of Fine Arts (now the Evergreen Association of Fine Arts), moved to Hood River, Oregon, and was planning to open a gallery, and asked me to display five or six of my works there. Then, I received a letter from an editor at a publishing company who happened to see my works in the small gallery. The editor said that he was planning to publish a new book by a new picture book author and illustrator, and asked me to show him more of his works.

Aki, who didn't know much about American picture books, first consulted with an acquaintance who was knowledgeable about publishing, who encouraged her to write back immediately, saying, "This is a well-known company, and it's not a prank."

The letter was written by Linda, an editor working for the publishing company Harcourt Brace. Apparently, Aki had stopped off for a cup of coffee on a country road she usually doesn't use, and the gallery was next to a small hotel. After showing her some of her other works, Linda told her she would contact her right away, and Aki was convinced she had made it. "At that moment, I felt like the door to destiny had opened. It all started from there."

After the book was published, she attended librarian meetings all over the US. "I traveled to many cities, including Chicago and New Orleans. I had a lot of fun and was very happy at that time. Even if you participate in a local art fair, the scope is small. But with picture books, your books are sold all over the US. I had the joy of knowing that someone all over America was reading them."

Part 2>>

*This article is reprinted from Seattle lifestyle magazine Soy Source (February 21, 2021).

© 2021 Hitomi Kato / Soysource