Artwork copyright Saya Moriyasu. Photo courtesy of the artist.

Artwork copyright Saya Moriyasu. Photo courtesy of Washington State Arts Commission, 2021.

Artwork copyright Saya Moriyasu. Photo courtesy of Washington State Arts Commission, 2021.

Flower Mountain Energy, 2014

Saya Moriyasu
(American, born 1966)

Location: Capitol Campus Child Care Center - Maple Park, Olympia

ABOUT THE ARTWORK

Saya Moriyasu’s Flower Mountain Energy painting is about the exuberance of nature. Moriyasu notes, “Seeing into what is perceived as solid (the mountain) is a blue chrysanthemum flower growing exponentially inside. The mountain gives off radiant pink auras. A meditative moment to reflect on your body and feel the radiant energy.” The painting is influenced by the American artist Charles Burchfield, who is known for his mystical landscapes. It is also influenced by Shintoism, an indigenous religion of Japan.

This artwork is part of a curated collection by Renee Adams for the Maple Park Capitol Campus Child Care Center in Olympia. The art selection committee wanted the art to be mainly for the children. They wanted to focus on Northwest artists from diverse backgrounds and geographies, and artworks with color and nature-inspired imagery. The Child Care Center has six classrooms, as well as outdoor classrooms and play spaces, for eighty-four children.

This artwork was acquired for the State Art Collection in partnership with Department of Enterprise Services.

ABOUT THE ARTIST

Saya Moriyasu loves creating “open stories” in her art. She is inspired by Americana, consumerism, humor, the decorative arts, history, Buddhism, and a love of beauty. She also notes that, “The mix of my Japanese father and my Oregon, raised-on-a-farm mother made an incongruent world where a beautiful Kannon (goddess of mercy) shared the same space as a polyester afghan blanket. Living with that mix makes me love that same odd mix in chinoiserie (European art made in a Chinese style). That wrongness is right to me.”
Moriyasu earned a Bachelor of Fine Art degree in ceramic sculpture from the University of Washington in 1991 where she studied under Akio Takamori and Patti Warashina.