Mika Endo – “Pen and Brush Works”

November 8, 2020 - January 10, 2021.

**Extended through January 10, 2021.**

With delicate watercolors and detailed pen-and-ink drawings, Mika Endo gives viewers a chance to appreciate Hoboken’s unique beauty through a newcomer’s eyes. Even the ubiquitous utility poles bristling with electric wires are rendered in loving detail. While most locals learn to edit out the wires from their mental images of Hoboken, Mika finds it “a secret pleasure to draw this crazy amount of wire.”

Mika and her family came to Hoboken in 2018 when her husband’s job was transferred to New Jersey from Osaka. “Hoboken is a very attractive city with a well-balanced combination of historic and new buildings,” she says. She and her husband were drawn to Hoboken’s European atmosphere. “My first impression is that it is fashionable and bright, with kind people, and it’s very relaxed.”

“I wanted to get a painting that reflected this beautiful townscape, but I couldn’t find one. So, I thought it would be good to draw the places I like, so I started to draw them,” she said.

The works on display in the Museum’s Upper Gallery in “Pen & Brush Works by Mika Endo,” are scenes of Hoboken painted between 2019 and 2020, with a mix of distant views, close-ups, buildings, water surfaces and flowers.

Mika says she strives to capture the beauty of Hoboken’s fusion of the old and the new. “I wanted to express how historical buildings are harmonized with people’s daily lives. For example, I drew a glass shop next to the fire station. The image of a glass shop is contemporary, but the walls on the upper floor of the shop and the historic fire department building maintain an exquisite balance and create a very calm atmosphere.”

Drawing is a relatively new artistic pursuit for Mika. She had studied oil painting in high school, and later studied stained glasswork and flower arrangement in London in 2004 -2009, learning techniques of combining colors and tones that have informed her new artwork. Most of her artistic expression has been as a master flower designer in Japan for several years. Working with flowers taught her how to create drama in a limited space and techniques to direct the viewer’s eye from the forefront to the background and how to hold an audience’s attention by varying the perspective and subject matter.

Among Mika’s inspirations are the French Impressionist Claude Monet, whose works give her a sense of peace, and taught her how to draw light and shadow. She was also inspired – and somewhat intimidated – by Japanese animation artists, including Hayao Miyazaki, Isao Takahata and Yoshifumi Kondo. From their multi-award-winning films, including “Spirited Away,” she learned “to draw a simple everyday life thoughtfully through the picture, and to impress people who see it. My goal is to deliver ‘moments of excitement’ born from everyday life.”

Mika draws mainly with transparent watercolor paint and a fine-point pen. When she draws buildings, she uses a little thicker paint among transparent watercolors. Once she’s decided on her composition, she begins with a pencil sketch, which she then traces with a pen. She adds color bit by bit, keeping an eye on the tone of the overall color, adding highlights for a finish. A simple work may take about 8 hours, with more complicated scenes taking nearly 30 hours to finish.

Mika credits Hoboken artist Liz Cohen Ndoye for inspiring, encouraging and deepening her art practice. “The reason I started painting again for the first time in 30 years was when I met her. Fortunately, I’m learning drawing from her Hoboken public library art class. Her mysterious art made me want to draw. Just meeting her will cheer you up. She is very special to me.”

Mika’s hometown is a small coastal town in Miyagi Prefecture, Japan. A decade ago, the tsunami created by a massive magnitude 9.0 earthquake completely destroyed 90% of the buildings in the town. Throughout Japan, the earthquake killed more than 22,000 people and displaced many more. “It was really sad to lose our hometown, our loved ones, and lots of memories,” she recalls.

“Now, I regret that I should have painted the scenery of my hometown and kept it at hand,” she adds. “That’s why I always wish when I draw views of Hoboken that the beauty of this city will continue forever. I also pray that everyone who loves Hoboken will be healthy and happy, and that the world will be at peace.”

The exhibit is supported by a block grant from the State/County Partnership program for the Arts, administered by the Hudson County Division of Cultural and Heritage Affairs.