Risa Kusumoto has been named a winner for the Picture This Award.

Seeds of wonder in the empty spot

A group of curious children find an empty space littered with neglected potted plants. Intrigued, they gather around, but they seem disheartened about the potential of the barren spot. “Shall we give it some water?”, “But maybe it’s already dead..” They take a closer look at the seemingly lifeless plant. To their delight, they discover that the plant holds hope within – seeds!

Risa Kusumoto is a visual artist and a storyteller based in Berlin. No matter if she starts from text, an image or something more abstract, she observes from multiple angles, absorbs and slowly discovers the underlying narrative. Born in Japan, raised in Brazil, USA, Germany and Canada, she relied heavily on visual communication throughout her childhood as a way to cope with the constantly changing languages around her. She was quiet, rarely said anything outside, but tried extremely hard to make sense of what was going on through drawing. Today, she continues to explore the diverse ways we can enjoy our complex world.

“Risa captures the spontaneity of childhood through loose digital drawings that manage to retain the energy and poetic quality of analog water-colour and ink drawings. She demonstrates a clear understanding of contemporary picture-book making and the preferences of a young readership.”

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To work with Risa, get in contact here.