LIFE & CULTURE

Allan West paints on the flat surface of tatami mats tostop the thinner natural mineral pigments from running.

DRAWING
NATURAL BEAUTY
WITH TRADITIONALJAPANESE
PIGMENTS
Expressing the beauty and essence of the natural seasons,an American artist turned his back on the Western
style of painting to learn about traditional
Japanese painting techniques and materials.

Pigments are made fromnatural minerals such as lapis
lazuli and malachite. Additionally, glue, which is hardened
into a stick for longer storage,
and gold leaf are used.

JAPANUNITED STATES OF AMERICA“I was shocked to learn thatwhat I thought was my own
technique of using animal glue
has in fact been used in Japan fora very long time,” says Allan West.
From an early age, West loved
to capture scenes of nature, andaspired to be a painter. However,
he found it difficult to portray thedelicate lines of plants and flowers
using oils, so he sought to make hisown pigments and canvases fromrabbit-protein glue and marble.
After graduating from high school,
West entered Carnegie Mellon
University, one of the leading
art colleges in the United States.
There, he turned his back on the
traditional thick brushstrokesof oil painting mainly taught
in American colleges, instead
showing his individualistic spirit
by experimenting with othermaterials in his depiction ofnature.
One day, seeing West’s artworkat an exhibition, a woman
happened to mention that similar
techniques could be found inJapanese painting. Wanting
to find out more about thosemethods, West took a hiatusfrom his studies and headed toJapan, a country he knew nothing

Top: Inside the Allan West studio-cum-gallery, thetraditional latticed ceiling of which West has adornedwith dragons, plants, and flowers.
Right: West opened his studio gallery after renovating anauto body garage in the downtown area of Yanaka, full ofBuddhist temples and old houses.

ALLAN WEST
Born in Washington, D.C. While a high school
student, West believed he pioneered the use of animalglues mixed with natural pigments, unaware that these
are the same materials used in the nihonga technique.
He studied art at Carnegie Mellon University’s
College of Fine Arts in the United States. West settledin Japan after several visits, entering the Graduate
School of Fine Arts at Tokyo University of the Arts in1989. A decade later, he opened Art Sanctuary Allan
West, a studio-cum-gallery, in Yanaka, Tokyo. The
majority of his artwork is commissioned work
consisting of plant and flower paintings on hanging
scrolls, folding screens, and fans. He also serves as atrustee at The Yurabi Institute for the Study andPreservation of Japan’s Cultural Heritage.

about. There, he was impressedwith his introduction to nihonga(traditional Japanese painting).
He found the deer-protein glue
used in nihonga to be far lessodorous and cloudy than therabbit glue he had previously used.
West was also impressed with thecountless colors of the naturalmineral pigments made frompowdered rock, as well as with thebrushes that allow for more open
and expressive lines. Pleasant towork with, these organic materials
capture the beauty of nature andleave a lasting clear vibrancy formore than a thousand years. After
graduating from university in theUnited States, West returned toJapan and entered the Graduate
School of Japanese Painting at
Tokyo University of the Arts.
It was there, under the tutelageof KAYAMA Matazo, that helearned the techniques of nihonga
in depth.
Not far from Tokyo Universityof the Arts is Yanaka, a temple
neighborhood of Tokyo from theEdo period (1603-1867) withmany old Japanese buildings stillstanding. West was fascinated bythat part of Tokyo, packed fullof well-known stores specializing
in nihonga materials. This
fascination led him to renovate
an old auto body garage so thathe could open his own Japanesestyle studio-cum-gallery in theneighborhood. Stepping inside,
the visitor is transported into amagical world full of art painted
with gold, silver, and copper leaf,
as well as containers filled withfinely powdered natural mineralpigments. It’s not unusual forneighbors to stop by for a glanceof his artwork, which offers thema distinct sense of the changing
seasons.
In recent years, West, alongwith followers of traditional
performing arts such as Kabuki
and Noh, has been focusing hisattention on conveying the allureof Japanese culture throughexhibitions and performances
overseas. “Japanese culture carries
with it a wisdom that cherishes
the beauty of nature, a harmony
with nature that is preserved in asustainable way. It is that wisdomthat I’d like to convey through myart,” remarks West softly. With
such an artist capturing the beautyof nature unfettered by nationalboundaries in this traditional
painting style, the potential ofnihonga will further resonate
around the world.