Brian Tomori
Brian Tomori is a formally trained Japanese-American artist whose fresh, contemporary style gives new life to both Industrial Pop Surrealism and traditional Edo Period Japanese Art. Tomori’s Industrial Pop artwork is influenced by his time spent living and working in both New York and Miami, 8 and 10 years respectively. On the Industrial Pop art side, he focuses on vibrant, surreal interpretations of 50’s era Planes, Trains and Automobiles as frequent subject matter as well as smaller, viscerally urban texture pieces that often incorporate found objects such as bolts, rivets and metal plates. His pop works utilize a fish-eye lens distortion combined with a forced perspective of the subjects primarily in a post-apocalyptic New York City setting.
Notable examples of these characteristics are found in his 36” x 48” “Carmageddon” (A 50’s Buick Roadmaster in the city) and “The Aerosol Industrial Complex” (50’s era F-86 Sabre fighter jet “bombing” NYC with vintage Krylon Spray cans). On the
Japanese Contemporary art side, Tomori taps into his heritage as he focuses the Samurai, Geisha and abstracted Japanese Kanji characters as subject matter. There is a very historic look and feel through the use of strong, irregular texturing in his signature “tiling technique,” yet the colors, composition, and attitude of the subjects are fresh and engaging. He has coined his painting style as “Neo-Edo” art. A reference to the stylized art from the Edo Period (1603-1868) but with his fresh, contemporary evolved interpretation of this genre. Standout examples of this style are his 107” x 98” “The Grand Samurai,” 48” x 48” “Serenity” and the 48” x 72” “Bushido.” Originally from Grand Rapids Michigan, Brian received his formal art education from Kendall College of Art and Design, followed by several decades as a Corporate Creative Executive for world-renowned fashion and lifestyle brands including Perry Ellis, Kenneth Cole, Callaway Golf, PGA Tour and Nike Swim. Additionally, he has worked on licensed apparel programs for the NFL, NBA, Major League Baseball and Umbro.