About

Esther Molina Photo 1

I am a graphic designer from Barcelona, Spain. I have been living in Japan since 2004. After graduating from Salesians de Sarrià, in Barcelona (I.T. and Graphic Design) I then did a 3 years masters in Comic Arts at Escola de Comic Joso. Since I came to Japan I began studying suibokuga (Japanese charcoal ink painting) and watercolours. Currently working for NHK World Radio Japan as announcer, reporter and illustrator, I also run an Etsy shop where you can find my illustrations on postcards.

EstherMolina-20140730-01

“All you need is Love”, my first solo Exhibition in Tokyo, is a collection of my original conceptual paintings, using aniline inks applied to a paper canvas with a glass pen or a silicon brush.

I like to draw things that I see on nature and on my dreams. I also love to capture people’s expresions, trying to imagine what are they thinking. My favorite media are watercolours, because I love how they perform on paper. It’s like they are alive and they have their own will. So, if you are nice to them, they will dance with you and your brush.

IMG_8567

I love suibokuga because it is a big challenge for me. One needs a lot of determination to paint with that techniques, because we don’t use pencil, if you make a mistake there is no way to fix it. You need to start again. That helps me to gain confidence on my brush strokes.

I came to Japan few times for holidays before to move here. Living in Japan  is a dream that has come true. I love this country full of ancient culture and nature, where I was able to find myself.

I have many hobbies related to arts and crafts, but I also love to cook and travel. Lately I became very interested in hiking. It is one of my favorite activities now. I love trees and I enjoy so much painting nature, so it is a hobby that makes me very happy. I love to write too, so if you are interested in hear about my adventures in Japan and all the cute things that you can find here, don’t hesitate to visit my personal blog: theunrealworld.net