Mayuko Fujino

Overview

Currently based in Queens, New York, Mayuko Fujino grew up in a Tokyo suburb. She’s a cutout and collage illustrator, who was inspired to take up art by the books of David Hockney, and the film Yellow Submarine by The Beatles, among other things. She started drawing posters in elementary school, and later on discovered traditional Japanese stencil dying. The latter prompted her move towards making similar images from cut out pieces of paper.

Her work has featured in advertising, music packaging, editorial projects, on garments and even in carpet designs.

Training

Mayuko has no formal art training, but has been developing her skills in paper cut outs and making art since 1999.

Approach

Mayuko’s artwork mimics a stencil or a print but instead of blocks of ink she uses cut out pieces of coloured paper or photographs to piece together a striking, graphic image. What she pays attention to the most is the balance between the space occupied by the colourful image elements, and the white areas surrounding them. Getting the balance right, she ensures the outcome never looks cluttered or fuzzy to the viewer.

Style

The style imputed to her images very much comes down to her selection of cut out shapes. Nature  including plants, flowers and birds  often comes to the fore and with their gentle curves her images have a decorative feel to them. She creates whimsical characters, and abstract or psychological stories that take place in imaginary worlds.

Client List

• McDonald's
• Nokia
• Panasonic
• Sanrio
• Asahi Newspaper
• WFMU Radio