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The Art of Hirō Isono

Hirō Isono was a Japanese artist born in 1945, and passed away on May 2013. Shown in the majority of his work, you will notice that he had an affinity for trees, forests, and nature. He gained more recognition from his artwork contributions to the 1990’s RPG series “Secret of Mana” or “Seiken Densetsu”, for the SNES. His visions and techniques always invoked reality with just a little hint of mystery. Not quite surreal, but just enough to make you think about what you’re looking at.

All Dolled Up

I wanted to celebrate and capture the unique, communal experience of girls getting ready. I wanted to show how the act of getting dressed up and putting makeup on can be seen as a ritual in female friendships and as a way for women to collectively express themselves and have fun!!! The anticipation and the excitement of a night out is often one of the most sincere and magical moments. Music was a crucial inspiration as the idea for the project actually stemmed from a playlist my friends and I play when getting ready,  aptly named, “All Dolled Up”. The type of songs we listen to are typically older and feature mostly female singers. Some favourites: “Where did our love go?” The Supremes, “9 to 5” by Dolly Parton, “Our lips are sealed” by The Gogos. I wanted to carry through the same retro, hyper feminine feel visually, so you could feel those songs playing.With the understanding that getting dressed up and putting makeup on is not limited to or required for females, the goal of the work is to commemorate a special process to each individual. When shared with friends, getting ready can bring out multi-faceted layers of beauty, that aren’t necessarily physical.