A circle of friends connected by goo touch! The “FIST BUMP” corner of the radio program “GRAND MARQUEE” features people who live and enjoy Tokyo in a relay format.
On January 11, the painter Shuntaro Takeuchi was introduced by Tsuyoshi Otsuka, representative of Nippon Design Inc. and producer of “Nakame Area Management”. We asked him about what is important to him in creating his works, as well as about travel, movies, and skiing as sources of inspiration.
INDEX
A little bit of a jokey balance is important in the creation of his works.
Celeina (MC): You rarely appear on the radio, is this not your first time?
Takeuchi：This is the second time, since J-WAVE came to interview me once when I exhibited. At that time, they came to the site, so this is my first time in the studio.
Celeina：Today is your studio debut, so please welcome. Mr. Takeuchi is active in a wide range of fields, including the fashion magazine “POPEYE,” collaborations with brands, and illustrations for advertisements, CD jackets, websites, etc.
Takano (MC): I am sure you have seen him around. If you search for Shuntaro Takeuchi, you will find him. You will be able to find him. Yesterday, Mr. Otsuka introduced me as “someone you see often,” so I thought he was someone whose works I often see, but it turned out to be someone I pass by on the street. (Laughs)
Takeuchi：It would have been fine to just say, “I often look at this person’s work.”.
Celeina: I am impressed by the fact that Takeuchi-san’s works have comedic elements, but at the same time, we can see the person’s character.
Takano: I think the balance between realistic and deformation-like is amazing.
Takeuchi: Thank you very much. I think the balance between the realism and the deformity is something that is important to me.
Takano: The colors are also very cute. I know this is an amateur’s opinion, but I felt it had a Central and South American feel to it.
Takeuchi: I like Central and South America a lot. I have been traveling there.
Celeina：Have you always been traveling?
Takeuchi：Yes, I have. I try to go to various places, not only Central and South America.
Celeina：Is there a country that you think has been the most inspirational place you have been to?
Takeuchi：Mexico and Spain fit the bill.
Takano: Actually, I used to live in Mexico. Maybe that’s why I feel a sense of nostalgia from Takeuchi’s work. We are talking about stationery on the program today. Could you tell us about your art materials?
Takeuchi：I basically use acrylic paints and pencils.
Celeina：What is your environment like when you are creating?
Takeuchi：I often work in my office or studio.
Celeina：Do you paint while relaxing? Or do you work in an upper atmosphere?
Takeuchi：If I relax too much, I get sloppy. I try to keep myself in a tense atmosphere as much as possible.
Celeina：Do you sometimes lose your concentration?
Takeuchi：I can concentrate when I am drawing, so it is important to start drawing.
Takano: Do you work in silence?
Takeuchi：I also listen to music. I also play J-WAVE.
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Cherish the initial inspiration.
Takano: Thank you very much. Takeuchi-san, you create an illustration of an artist every month as a serial essay project for TOWER RECORD’s “NO MUSIC, NO LIFE”. What is your favorite one?
Takeuchi: Most of them are my favorites, but when it’s a band with a lot of people, I can use a lot of colors, so it’s nice and lively.
Takano: The background color is also chosen to match the mood of the person each month. Please check it out.
Celeina：Is there anything you consider important when drawing pictures?
Takeuchi：As I said, the first image is important, so it is the first impression. Then there is the deadline, because if I don’t decide on an end, I end up doing it in a lazy way.
Takano: It depends on the work, but how long does it take you to draw one picture?
Takeuchi：It often takes me a long time to decide on an image. Once I have decided, I often paint in a day.
Celeina：You said that first impressions are important when you paint. If you were to paint Takano, the MC, what color would you choose?
Takeuchi：Light green.
Celeina：Light green! That was an immediate answer, wasn’t it?
Takeuchi：I gave an immediate answer (haha). If I hesitate, it becomes difficult to decide.
Takano: So you decide by intuition. I will refer to it.
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Inspiration from video works and skiing
Celeina：You worked on clay animation during your college days. Do you often get inspiration from visual works? Also We talked about traveling earlier.
Takeuchi：I would say that my video works also have a sense of travel. Getting to know an unfamiliar world may be the source of my creativity.
Takano: I know this is a difficult question, but what is your best movie?
Takeuchi：This is the most difficult question. I guess “Stand by Me” directed by Rob Reiner. In terms of the number of times I watched it in elementary school, I think it’s the best.
Takano: What is it about it that appeals to you?
Takeuchi: The excitement of traveling together.
Celeina：The color scheme is also distinctive. We have heard about your travel and movies, but we have also heard that you are into skiing. When did this start?
Takeuchi: I got into skiing about three years ago when I was asked to do an illustration for the ski brand “BOGEN,” which took me skiing in the spring.
Takano: Before that, you didn’t do it?
Takeuchi：I did when I was in elementary school. I was snowboarding as well as skiing.
Celeina: So you also snowboarded. This may be the ultimate question, but why are you passionate about skiing now?
Takeuchi：While I was helping out with the ski brand, I thought it was genuinely interesting.
Takano: Is it different from snowboarding?
Takeuchi: It’s a totally different kind of fun. It’s easy not to have to take off and put on shoes.
Takano: Have you already gone this year?
Takeuchi: I have only been once. I usually stay in Hokkaido for about three months and ski while working.
Takano: So you stay in Hokkaido until spring. A change of environment might be good to have another stimulus.
Celeina: Now, I would like to send you a song. I asked Mr. Takeuchi to choose a song that he would like everyone to listen to together on the radio at this time. Please tell us the reason for your song selection.
Takeuchi：I was listening to this song on my way home from skiing in the evening, and I chose it because I thought it was the theme song for the year 2023. It is “Evening curves straight” by Dustin Wong.
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He often chooses by the way he look. Mr. Takeuchi’s favorite stationery
Celeina：Today’s program is dedicated to the theme of “stationery. We asked Mr. Takeuchi to bring his favorite stationery. I am interested in this largest stapler.
Takeuchi: It is a stapler that can bind books.
Takano: Can you fasten about 100 sheets?
Takeuchi: It might take a lot of strength to fasten 100 sheets, so it would be better to limit it to about 30 sheets.
Takano: I’m also interested in this orange round thing. It looks like a frame.
Takeuchi: It is a circle cutter. It can cut a beautiful circular shape.
Celeina：What do you use it for?
Takeuchi：Mostly for crafts, but I don’t usually use it at all. I choose it for its appearance.
Celeina：It has a retro look and is cute. You also have a lot of pens.
Takeuchi:Those are pens that can write on anything, used at construction sites and so on.
Takano: I really want to try one, but I would get angry (haha). Do you have any criteria for choosing stationery?
Takeuchi: The color, the look, and whether or not I want to use it.
Takano: Whether it excites me or not. There are so many, I want to talk about it for about an hour. (haha)
Celeina：Thank you very much for bringing all these things! Today we have painter Shuntaro Takeuchi. Thank you very much.
GRAND MARQUEE
J-WAVE (81.3FM) Mon-Thu 16:00 – 18:50
Navigator: Shinya Takano, Celeina Ann
