"Prayer 3"

92.0 × 22.0cm, Charcoal on pastel paper, Japanese keyaki tree-handmade frame, 2011

(C)Kentaro Nishino

Memory of the Trees　：　I buy unpeeled logs and boards, and carve them with a saw or drill. The shapes vary from lumber to lumber, but I try to decide the shape of the canvas to go with the annual ring of the tree. I then try to get inspiration from the tree. From the annual ring, I feel the history and memory of the tree older than myself, the greatness, fragility and strength of life. I want to express what the tree has gone through in that tree, in my own way. I see trees as a mediator between mankind and animals, and I am careful at handling them, so they can convey my thoughts through my work, and can talk about the animals.