"Grace" acrylic 30x40" 2018

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Raw – Vibrant – Unapologetic

The paintings of Shirley Sakatani Skifstad are borne from the twists and turns of major life changes; channeling emotion into large florals and koi in acrylics on canvas – bright, exploding and full of movement.

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A graduate of California State University in fine arts; Shirley hails from a creative family: Grandfather Yamashita was a renowned landscaper and designer of koi ponds as well as a prolific gardener. Father Bacon Sakatani is a well known advocate for Japanese  survivors of the internment camps in WWII; a photographer and an inventor.

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A lifetime immersed in creativity inspires Shirley to teach others with a step by step method in a variety of settings including her new venue Sakatani Studio.

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Aside from the large and loose acrylics, Shirley wields oils into realistic, heart- warming portraits of pets; clients rave about the animation and personality captured in these smaller works.

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The Sakatani style is a blend of strong composition, impressionist couplings, capturing light, layering and pushing colours and emphasizing feeling over detail. The technique ranges from an explosive and wild view of nature to a graceful and warm embrace of creation.

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Armed with decades of experience and love; Shirley Sakatani Skifstad is unleashing new and powerful work for the world to enjoy.

Shirley at age 4