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Tomori Nagamoto reveals to Star Portraits why the ballpoint pen is his art apparatus of choice.

SP: How did you become interested in art?

TN: I was a doodler. I've doodled ever since I was a kid, and it always helps me concentrate on what is being said, the word came later. Art for me was a way of expressing myself as often as I could.

SP: When did you decide to become a professional artist?

TN: I'll never forget the moment I sold one of my paintings for the first time. When I was 21, I traveled to Canada on a one-way ticket to explore my potential as a songwriter/musician. The only thing I brought with is my guitar and paints. I was busking on the street in Vancouver for six months and my life was pretty miserable. I was completely broke. One day, I sketched the person sitting across from me. She looked like a tourist, a stranger in town - like me. She came to me and asked how much to buy the painting. I offered the sketch for free, but she handed me a hundred-dollar bill. I was so shocked how quickly the sketch turned into money. I began to paint seriously from that moment. I started painting day and night, week after week, and sold a number of paintings on the street during my stay in Vancouver. Then I earned enough money to afford a return ticket to Japan. Ever since that day I have been living as a professional artist.

SP: Do you believe fundamental art skills are essential?

TN: No. You should not go to school if you want to be original. There is nothing more meaningful than being true to yourself and finding your own voice. SP: Where do you see yourself going with your art in the future?

TN: I am just an artist, but I do believe there is something I can do for peace in an artistic way.

SP: Why do you prefer to use a ballpoint pen?

TN: From West to East, poor and rich anyone can use a pen. That's what I like it.

SP: Do you adhere to certain brands of pen? TN: Not really, but I used to steal pens from a hotel lobby because I like cheap ones.

SP: Do you prefer to get to know your subjects?

TN: If there is an apple as a subject to draw, I am the kind of guy who will bite it without any hesitation. I obviously can draw an apple without looking at it because I know what it looks like, and that's the skill all artists have. But I'd like to taste it, feel it, smell it, and touch it before I start to draw.

SP: Are there particular personalities that spike your interest? TN: All those people who are living between hope and fear, waving between dreams and reality.

Artist Stats

Known for his large-scale ball-point pen drawings of human figures, Tomori Nagamoto denotes urban isolation of individuals. The lines, which flow through repetitive motion, capture the essence of an individual’s fragile state. Through determination and control of his work, Nagamoto expresses the combination of the abstract mind with high realism drawings.

www.tomolennon.com