The Soles of a Family

Artist: Tomoki Urata
Writer: Shiori Chen
Editor: Jonathan Park

Tomoki Urata, a Carlmont High School senior taking AP art studio, has long used art as a means for creative expression. He has explored various mediums such as alcohol markers, colored pencils, graphite, and watercolor paints, which he began using in second grade. Urata started art in elementary school, but switched to an art teacher after finding class to be under-stimulating. Urata has continued working with this teacher to date. At first, he used other paintings as references to learn techniques and develop his artistic skills. Eventually, he began working independently, focusing on pieces he wanted to do and finding his own references. 

Urata’s piece, The Soles of a Family, was created in his first year of high school. It was a laborious art process, taking over 70 hours to make, including sketching out his draft in pencil and beginning his painting process with lighter layers. He later used heavier layers for the darker elements of the artwork. Urata skillfully used various techniques to show more detail: for the bricks and wood in the piece, he used a paint splattering method and a flattened brush to detail the grains of the wood. The Soles of a Family depicts wooden clogs, and Urata specifically chose them to show the dynamic of a family through the shoes they wear. While clogs might seem like an unusual item, it is one that the family uses regularly and intimately, coming in different sizes, shapes, and colors, showing characteristics within the family individuals.  

Urata strategically placed the handkerchief in the piece to contrast the colors of the work with its light green quality. “Watercolor is interesting because once you put something down, you can’t undo it and you have to figure it out from there. It might end up looking really good at the end; all you have to do is trust the process,” Urata said.