Masao Sesoko, Artist

An engineer, furniture designer, carpenter and cabinetmaker by trade, Masao Sesoko began painting in 1997 after an architect-friend took notice of a series of 12 watercolors that Sesoko had done one evening in his spare time. Taken by the works, the friend encouraged Sesoko to paint professionally. In a melding of creative endeavors, Sesoko paints exclusively on wood canvases that he personally fashions using his carpentry and cabinetmaking skills. His signature canvasses serve as a unique painting surface that he emphatically prefers over traditional canvas.

Sesoko says that he learned his artistic technique entirely from his furniture design work and reading books on art and art history. He is inspired by the works of Picasso, Matisse and Baskia.

Sesoko has been living in Hawaii for the past 26 years and is originally from Okinawa, Japan. He is known to paint with little effort. “The paintings just come once I start,” he says. “To me, everyone has their own kind of talent. You just need to find it. In my case, I just love to paint.”

His Art of Vision Gallery exhibit was titled Masao Sesoko’s World, Night and Day.  The show included a selection of abstract, cubist and whimsical paintings from September 11 through November 22, 2006.  Sesoko has also been featured in solo exhibits at the Agora Gallery in Chelsea, New York and in select locations throughout Oahu including the Pauahi Tower Gallery, The Hawaii Academy and the Honolulu Advertiser Gallery.