Sumomo Kanashiwa

The painter-illustrator lives and works in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
She did a training in Computer Graphics and Design School before concentrating on her oil painting creations in the 2000s.

Sumomo Kanashiwa, the Argentina based artist and illustrator is extremely inspired by Japanese Manga and the animation culture – mostly wide eyed females – subjects. Despite being influenced by Japan’s comic art, Kanashiwa’s style has its own original flair and charm that distinguishes her art from the works of other artists. Pink haired, beautiful girls with an unusual blue-gray skin tone, often positioned in surreal settings, are recurring patterns in her painting.

Having never formally studied art before, Kanashiwa began her artistic career as a self-taught painter in the mid-2000s, in Buenos Aires, one of the most diverse cities in Latin America. Although Argentina has its own tradition of comics, Kanashiwa’s illustrative style is primarily influenced by her Japanese heritage. The highly talented artist uses intense colors to highlight believability and originality of her wistful characters, who look as if they are lost in their own thoughts and in their own world, some examples include: Thinking About (2009), Pool (2008), and 13593 (2008).