I began painting surreal oil paintings in 1995, right after winning a prestigious award at the Tokyo National Museum. Prior to that time I’d painted mostly illustrations, but I was looking for something that expressed my life struggles more accurately. Painting surreal art in oils helped immensely. It was something I continued to do for three years.

Some of my influences are immediately recognizable. Dali, Magritte and Erst. Some much less so, Tanguy, Bellmer, Miro and Giger also fascinated me. I particularly gravitated towards self-taught creators like myself. Francis Bacon, Basquiat and Ernie Barnes to name but a few.