Yakitori - Original

This is the fourth artwork for my second series "A Night in Japan". I created this artwork using Copic markers and white pencil. The work depicts two men out for dinner at a Yakitori restaurant in Tokyo, Japan. There is a strong contrast between the light interior of the restaurant and the area around it where the light doesn't reach. In the background you can see other figures walking by, indistinct, with neon lights in the distance. The work is predominately coloured in dark blues, which contrasts strongly with the vibrant red of the stools.

This series continues from my first, 'A Year in Japan', yet focuses on a single night in Tokyo. There is no longer a 'lone man', instead, a variety of people are shown, each going about their lives on this one night which binds them together. My influence for this series is also drawn from the film Blade Runner, a film loved for it's dystopian, 'Neo Tokyo' nighttime scenes. As with my first series, I am attempting to convey the Japanese phrase 物の哀れ 'mono no aware' - the gentle sadness of things. This refers to the ephemeral, transitory nature of the world, which in turn evokes a greater appreciation for things which are quick to disappear, such as cherry blossoms. The scenes I portray are fleeting moments in time, where the figures, objects and light will only be in that exact state for a moment, never to be repeated. Furthering this concept, this series depicts scenes from a single night in Tokyo, highlighting the ephemeral quality of time. The style I used was inspired by Studio Ghibli animation and traditional Japanese woodblock prints.

My signature is on the artwork in gold pen, near the bottom right corner.

For an example of how it will look framed, see my listing for "Smoke" original.

Follow

Erin Nicholls has always been artistic, leading her to study a number of creative subjects such as ceramics‚ metalsmithing & fine arts. She has done a lot of travelling since her childhood in country Victoria, living in a number of different cities and countries. In 2003, Nicholls lived in Florence, Italy, where she had private lessons in Old Masters' oil painting techniques from a master art restorer. In 2016, she completed a Bachelor of Arts Degree with Griffith University, majoring in Art History. Nicholls' style of art evolved from oil paintings to marker and pencil illustrations, which she has been developing exclusively since 2015. Her works are mostly realistic scenes, created in her unique style which is reminiscent of Studio Ghibli animation, as well as traditional Japanese woodblock prints.

Nicholls has produced two series of works featuring Japanese streetscapes - "A Year in Japan" and "A Night in Japan". In 2018, Nicholls won Best on Paper for the Bluethumb Art Prize for her work "Smoke", from her Night in Japan series. In 2019 Nicholls was a finalist in the Copic Award, with her piece "Red Light" being exhibited in Tokyo. In 2024 she won the Australia and Pacific Regional award in the Copic Art Prize for her artwork "The Blank Page".

While Nicholls loves creating street scenes of Japan, she has also created a number of still life photorealism drawings using Copic markers, as well as portraits. In 2021 she was commissioned to create a large landscape drawing of a mountain summit. Currently she is still creating some drawings from photographs she took in Japan, as well as more portrait and still life works. She is available for marker drawing commissions.