Fay Watanabe Pritchard’s practice is deeply inspired by Japanese Buddhism and the interplay between light and shadow – a duality found in ancient architecture and the natural landscapes of her heritage, Japan. Working with diluted paint on light calico, Fay creates layered compositions that embrace translucency, allowing natural light to pass through and form a dialogue with more defined, solid markings. This process not only reflect the physical phenomena of light and shadow but also mirrors inner emotional landscapes and shifting states of mind.

​

Her paintings unfold a meditative routine where she attaches thoughts and emotions to the forms being painting, becoming an act of mindfulness. The journey of painting is never pre-determined; instead, it evolves into a space of revelation – offering perspectives unimaginable at the outset.

Expanding her visual language onto ceramics, Fay explores how painted marks can move beyond the surface, giving shape to objects that inhabit and extend the painted environment.

 

These sculptural elements emphasize how the material world and mental states intersect. In embracing both light and darkness, Fay seeks not to resolve opposites but allow them to coexist- quietly illuminating the spaces we often overlook.