MAKI-CONCEPT
ABOUT
I ask myself every day: "What else is possible?"
I am a mixed-media artist based in Santa Fe, New Mexico, where the expansive desert sky, the rich traditions of Hispanic and Native American cultures, and the creatures of the Southwest feed my imagination every day.
My work is rooted in two worlds. I was born in Mexico City and raised in León, Guanajuato, immersed in the vibrant colors of Mexican folk art, the alebrijes, and the spiritual traditions of both Catholicism and Buddhism that shaped my Japanese-Mexican family. That duality — the precise and the exuberant, the meditative and the bold — lives in every piece I make.
For thirty years I mastered materials at the highest levels of the global footwear industry — studying texture, color, and the behavior of extraordinary leathers that most people never encounter. When I transitioned to full-time artistry, I brought all of that knowledge with me. My signature technique involves hand-cutting leather into precise dots and shapes, which I apply to painted canvases to create surfaces that are as tactile as they are visual. Each piece requires 40 to 50 hours of intricate, meditative work. You don't just see these paintings — you want to touch them.
My subjects are the desert creatures and botanicals of the Southwest: chameleons, axolotls, frogs, lizards, and the luminous blooms of cactus flowers. I work in both figurative and abstract directions, and in both I am chasing the same thing — the moment when color, texture, and form come together to create something that feels alive.
I have had the privilege of collaborating on select pieces with my niece Aimi, a flamenco singer based in Tokyo whose extraordinary perception of form and figure has taught me to see differently.
I am grateful every day for the opportunity to do what I love — and to create works that will carry meaning long after I am gone.
🎨 Now exhibiting: Art Santa Fe · July 9–11, 2026 · Booth G4, SOLO Section Santa Fe Convention Center · Santa Fe, New Mexico