Mariko Irie, watercolors and oils at Highlight Gallery

Mariko Irie, a lifelong painter, was born and raised in Tokyo. She received her BFA at Musashino Art University in Tokyo.  Mariko moved to Mendocino in 1982 to pursue her painting. She studied printmaking with Robert Rhodes and American Realism painting with Bill Martin at College of the Redwoods in Fort Bragg.

Mariko has been seeking eternal peace and beauty. She hopes that the silence of her painting gives room for contemplation.   She has been fascinated by painting watercolors for twenty years. Mariko uses a wet into wet technique to bring out the watercolor’s uniqueness and charm, adding layers of glazing to create very rich paintings. She creates the paintings in a way that retains the distinctive look associated with the medium.
Her paintings are rich in the traditional style and have a wonderful, contemporary feel.