I paint dreams because they connect to the deeper mind that contains the whole range of human emotions: passion and fear, happiness and sadness, hope and trauma, and all memories.
Life is like a dream dreamt by the cosmos. Like a fish flying in the sky or a butterfly dancing on the ocean, it quietly reflects the scenery of my mind and heart.
It is the world connected through nature to the universe, to the cosmos, to all life.
I paint my daughter, Madoka, and her dreams. Madoka means “circle,” a Japanese metaphor for peace, happiness, wholeness, and inclusiveness. When I gave birth, I named my daughter Madoka, wishing her to be generous and peaceful like the sun, calm and gentle like the moon.
Madoka’s sleeping face is a dream connecting me to the cosmos and all life … a peaceful circle that calms me and soothes my fears. When I see her dreaming face, I forget my sadness, struggles, and past trauma. It takes me to other places and happier times, and I remember my own mother’s face when awake.
I have given Madoka unlimited love since the time she was in my womb. However, a relationship between a mother and her child is ever changing from happiness to sadness. When I paint her dreaming face, I can find my inexhaustible love for her. When I connect with this deep ocean of love for Madoka, I reconnect with my mother’s love for me.
Fumiyo Yoshikawa
Fumiyo Yoshikawa, 2009, “Everything Is a Child of the Earth”, Drawing, 16”x20”
