Oshiyama Motoko Japanese, 1957

Oshiyama Motoko is a masterful female artist who is inspired by nature and natural phenomena. Fascinated by the challenges and beauty of metalworking, she seeks to seamlessly incorporate her medium’s idiosyncrasies into her work instead of using force. She creates swirling patterns through her technique of welding together two or more metals such as silver and shakudō (a mixture of gold and copper). Oshiyama gives distinction to her works with her modern sense of design, focusing on geometric and abstract patterns.

The results are works that straddle the separation between “art” and “craft,” aiming to create objects that aesthetically enrich our environments and lives. Oshiyama studied metal carving, chasing, and hammering techniques at the Bunka Gakuen University in Tokyo, where she graduated in 1981. Following graduation, she studied further with Katsura Moriyuki (1914–1996) and the Living National Treasure, Okuyama Hōseki (b. 1935). Oshiyama currently teaches metalwork and jewelry making at her alma mater.