This Japanese Artist Turns Stones Into Tiny Animals (30 Pics)
Akie Nakata, aka Stone Artist, is a Japanese artist who turns stones into tiny animals that fit in your palm. She does that by painting them and has been doing so for the past ten years.
In an interview with Bored Panda, the artist said the she doesn’t use any old stones she finds – her process is much more intimate. “When I find a stone, I feel that stone, too, has found me. Stones have their own intentions and I consider my encounters with them as cues they give me that it’s OK to go ahead and paint what I see on them,” revealed Akie. “So the stones I decide to paint on are not arbitrary, but my significant opposites with whom I have established a connection, who inspire me to work with them.”
#1
Image source: akie_2525
#2
Image source: akie_2525
Akie never alters the stones she finds and says she wants the art she creates is “a life newly born in [her] hands through [her] dialogue with the stone.” The artist adds that she wants to paint the life she feels inside the stone.
“I consider my work completed only when I see that the eyes are now alive and looking back straight at me,” says Akie. “To me, completing a piece of work is not about how much detail I draw, but whether I feel the life in the stone.”
#3
Image source: akie_2525
#4
Image source: akie_2525
The artist loved collecting stones and drawing animals since she was a child but says these two interests stayed separate for a while. Then one day it all changed after Akie saw a stone that looked just like a rabbit.
#5
Image source: akie_2525
#6
Image source: akie_2525
Sadly for us, Akie’s works are not for sale and the artist simply wants the viewers to enjoy the images. See more of her works in the gallery below and check out more of Akie’s stone animals here!
#7
Image source: akie_2525
#8
Image source: akie_2525
#9
Image source: akie_2525
#10
Image source: akie_2525
#11
Image source: akie_2525
#12
Image source: akie_2525
#13
Image source: akie_2525
#14
Image source: akie_2525
#15
Image source: akie_2525
#16
Image source: akie_2525
#17
Image source: akie_2525
#18
Image source: akie_2525
#19
Image source: akie_2525
#20
Image source: akie_2525
#21
Image source: akie_2525
#22
Image source: akie_2525
#23
Image source: akie_2525
#24
Image source: akie_2525
#25
Image source: akie_2525
#26
Image source: akie_2525
#27
Image source: akie_2525
#28
Image source: akie_2525
#29
Image source: akie_2525
#30
Image source: akie_2525
Got wisdom to pour?