My work has become matte! The "brush of joy" of the unique artist SATO comes to life [Unique Communication #8]
"Isai Tsuushin" is a column introducing artists brought to you by Marie ( @Marie_heralbony ), the Isai Evangelist. In addition to the appeal of the works produced by Isai artists, we will deliver it in a chatty style, including wonderful experiences born from the interaction between Heralbony and Isai artists. For all of you who love the "unusual". We will support your tomorrow with content that will help you relax and give you energy.
Hello, I'm Marie.
This may be out of the blue, but what do you think is the most important thing to Heralbony?
Of course, it is important to create attractive products that customers will want to pick up, but what we value most of all is the idea of "artist first." With the basic premise that we release art in a form that brings out its maximum appeal, we always face artists while asking ourselves whether we are handling art in a way that goes against the wishes of the artist or those around them. When we actually use art in products or in collaborations with companies, we always take the time to talk with the artist, their family, and the facility.
Once the product is complete, we deliver it to the artist with gratitude. Seeing the artist's happy expression makes us happy too.
SATO, the main character of this issue of Issai Tsushin, is one of the artists who shows us such a wonderful smile.
"One photo a day" since age 10
SATO, who lives in Boston, is an artist with autism spectrum disorder, congenital short stature, congenital mild hearing loss, and intellectual disability. Since he was 10 years old, he has made it his daily routine to draw one picture a day.
People with autism have the tendency to stick to certain patterns and rules. The art supplies, drawing board, palette, and even the water container in front of SATO are all neatly arranged in a set type and position. He doesn't like muddy colors, so he mainly uses transparent watercolor paints made by Grumbach, an American company. He gets distracted when there are no colors on the palette, so he has decided to use 24 colors for watercolors and 7 colors for acrylics.
SATO's work begins with the image of the "shape of the day" and "color of the day" decided in advance, and is drawn by dropping the paintbrush from there. He chooses a different combination of 3 to 4 colors from the same palette every day, sprinkles "circular (or C-shaped)" motifs, and finishes today's piece. 
The polka dots and lines are vibrant, as if they could come to life at any moment.
SATO says that his style of work is gradually changing.
Polka dots, jelly bean shaped circles, horizontal lines resembling the kanji character "ichi" (one), or a combination of these. Every day, he continues to draw "today's shape" and "today's color" while creating such variations. His works become a daily record, and by drawing, SATO's life continues to be enriched and colored. 
When the sun rises, he paints another one. When the next sun rises, he paints another one. For SATO, painting is equal to living.
Each color and shape in SATO's art is vibrant and seems as if it is about to come to life.
When I imagine things like, "What was I doing on the day I painted this picture?" and "What was I feeling?", it makes me want to cherish the little things that accumulate each day as I live my life now.
My work was on the mat. What was the artist's reaction?
One of SATO's representative works, "Festival," is a piece that evokes the uplifting atmosphere of a festival, with soft circles strung together. It has been used for home items such as mats and cushions to decorate your room. (Currently sold out) 
SATO looks happy sitting on a rug with the original "Festival" artwork in hand! This art mat is made by a textile manufacturer in Hashima City, Gifu Prefecture, and faithfully reproduces the transparent colors that are SATO's charm.
The door mat of a different size also arrived at SATO's home the next day.
Being surprised by the unexpected gift, he took the doormat and patted it as if he were holding a baby. This is apparently SATO's way of expressing "something important."
"It's a waste to use a kitchen mat in a wet area..." SATO's mother thought so and placed a mat next to his bed so that SATO could get changed without getting his feet cold on cold days. The kitchen mat is 180cm wide, so it's the perfect size to place next to the bed. 
And on this day, SATO drew "Picture of the Day" in front of the actual mat.
The resulting piece is like a reversal of the colors of "festival."
SATO, who doesn't communicate much with words, was able to express his happiness through art on this day, and there was no greater joy than this.
Why we insist on putting artists first
In addition to photographs, Heralbony sometimes receives various thank-you gifts and messages from artists. 
This is a Christmas card handmade by SATO. The red and green circles make this a perfect design for Christmas.
This is a postcard of the original artwork. It warmed my heart to receive this gift from SATO, who traveled all the way across the border to send it to me.
Why is Heralbony so committed to putting the author first?
This is because we want to show respect to artists, including SATO, who we introduced today, and to work together with them on the creation of things as equal partners, rather than as "supporters."
I would also like to transcend the boundaries of disabilities and be someone who is more enthusiastic than anyone else about the appeal of the art created by unique artists, and who speaks about it and spreads the word.
Sincerely and humbly. HERALBONY will continue to value the artist first.
>Click here for a list of SATO items
Since discovering watercolor painting at summer camp at the age of 10, his daily routine has been to paint one picture a day at home. Without a specific model, he chooses a combination of several colors from a palette according to the image in his mind that day, and fills a large sheet of paper with a fresh touch reminiscent of jelly beans or raindrops. He prefers transparent watercolor paints made in the United States to avoid muddy hues. When people who see his finished paintings tell him, "It's beautiful," he happily parrots back, "It's beautiful, isn't it?" In his spare time, he enjoys Saori weaving, piano, and dance at art classes in Boston.
