Chihiro’s Pastel Drawings

In 1970, Chihiro began to focus on pastels, which she had often used as a supplementary medium from early in her career. In 1968, Chihiro started making picture books for the publishing company Shiko-sha, which led her to explore the further evolution of her artistic approach. Chihiro disdained her tendency to create detailed and intricate paintings and having them appear compactly constructed. So she experimented extensively, using big brushes or drawing with large arm movements while standing. Pastels, which are powdered pigment combined with a binder, are unsuitable for detailed depictions, but were a perfect medium for Chihiro who was trying to disregard tiny details. In this way, Chihiro gained a free style created by strong and vigorous lines, and it greatly influenced her subsequent watercolor paintings.