For years I’ve been following the works of Audrey Kawasaki, and well, I’m still in awe of it, her style is amazing.

So to kick off our new FEATURED ARTIST articles (which will take a deeper look at the artist and their history than our usual ARTIST OF THE DAY articles)… I present:

AUDREY KAWASAKI

Nagisa
oil and graphite on wood 18” x 28”
Space Yui in Tokyo
2009

Audrey Kawasaki (born March 31, 1982 in Los Angeles, California) is a Los Angeles-based painter and erotic artist, known for her distinctive, erotically charged portrayals of young, adolescent girls.

The themes in her work are contradictions within themselves. Her work is both innocent and erotic. Each subject is attractive yet disturbing. Audrey’s precise technical style is at once influenced by both manga comics and Art Nouveau. Her sharp graphic imagery is combined with the natural grain of the wood panels she paints on, bringing an unexpected warmth to enigmatic subject matter.

“Migawari”  to give oneself
oil and graphite on wood 16” x 20”
“Hajimari”@Jonathan Levine Gallery in NY
2009

The figures she paints are seductive and contain an air of melancholy. They exist in their own sensually esoteric realm, yet at the same time present a sense of accessibility that draws the observer to them. These mysterious young women captivate with the direct stare of their bedroom eyes.

“Yuuwaku”  allure
oil and graphite on wood 20″x26″
“Hajimari”@Jonathan Levine Gallery in NY
2009

Kawasaki studied fine art painting for two years at the Pratt Institute in New York City, but left after two years without completing her degree. She cites the emphasis in the New York art scene on conceptual art, an approach at odds with her figurative, illustrative style, as among the reasons she left.

Audrey updates her online journal frequently with new work, pieces in progress, information about shows and more.

Click here to visit her Live Journal.

 

I have hand picked some of my favourite pieces of her work below…

 

Enjoy.

“Warabeuta”  a child’s song
oil and graphite on wood 21″ x 32″
“Hajimari”@Jonathan Levine Gallery in NY
2009

“Asobiba”  playground
oil and graphite on wood 16″ x 18″
“Hajimari”@Jonathan Levine Gallery in NY
2009

 

 

 

“Mezameru maeni”  before you awake
oil and graphite on wood 30″ x 30″
“Hajimari”@Jonathan Levine Gallery in NY
2009

 

 

Letting Go
oil and graphite on wood 15?x20?
Space Yui in Tokyo
2009

“Karasu no Jyou”  the bird queen
oil and graphite on wood all together about 30″ x 26.5″
“Hajimari”@Jonathan Levine Gallery in NY
2009

“Daijoubu”  it’s going to be okay
oil and graphite on wood 21.5″ x 17″
“Hajimari”@Jonathan Levine Gallery in NY
2009

 

Overlap
oil and graphite on wood 28″x14″
Outre Gallery
2009

 

Wakarazuya
oil and graphite on skateboard deck
ISM: a community project “SK8OLOGY” charity auction
2008

Silent Stories
mixed media on wood 14″x 11″
‘The Drawing Show’ @ Thinkspace
2008

Two Sisters
oil and graphite on wood 24″x28.5
‘Kakurenbou’ @ Mondo Bizzarro
2008

 

She Who Dares
oil and graphite on wood 21″x18″
‘Kakurenbou’ @ Mondo Bizzarro
2008

Tangled She
oil and graphite on wood 16.5″x16.5″
‘Kakurenbou’ @ Mondo Bizzarro
2008

Uria
oil and graphite on wood 11.25″x18″
‘Kakurenbou’ @ Mondo Bizzarro
2008