Shari Arai DeBoer

I am a close observer of plant life and everyday objects and use them to evoke visual stories in my artwork. While much of my artwork reflects the influence of Asian art, my subject matter is rooted in my experience of growing up in northern California and my Japanese American heritage.

I study sumi-e, traditional Japanese brush painting, as a weekly exercise. The immediacy of the art form provides a contrast to the printmaking process, and the focus, control, and freedom of sumi-e informs my other artwork. Over the years, I have become more playful in my use of imagery and have developed a vocabulary of symbols that speaks of time, values, hidden stories, and our sense of strength and fragility. But whatever the media or subject matter, my work seeks to convey a sense of quietness and reflection.