群馬直美は、葉画家(ようがか)と自らを名乗り、葉っぱの絵を描き続けている。 
美大の学生だった頃に『世界で一番美しいもの』という作品を制作した群馬は、それを見た隣家の子供が怖がって泣いたことにショックを受け、自己の感覚を疑う日々に入った。何かを感じると「本当にそうなのか?」という心の声が響き、何も創れなくなった。そんな状況から群馬を救い出したのが、早春の陽光の中で枯れ枝に芽吹いた新緑の輝きの美しさとその生命力であった。群馬はその日から”葉っぱ”をテーマに創作をはじめた。暗中模索の十年間でーーこの世の中のひとつひとつのものは全て同じ価値があり光輝く存在であるーーという言葉が群馬の心に根付いた。この『葉っぱの精神』に乗っ取り、一枚の葉、一粒のドングリ、萎れた花、冬芽…など、私たちの足元の身近な自然物を、三十数年、愛情深く描き続けてきた。 
群馬は『原寸大で見たままありのままに』描く。と、一言でいうのは容易い。群馬は、虫に喰われた葉の小さな虫の歯形に目を凝らす。その微妙な変色に固唾を飲み、「どうやって描いたらいいのだろう?」の連続で描く。その答えはいつも『見たままに描く』。とても原始的であるが、『それしかないのだ』と言う。葉っぱの縁のギザギザは、何となくこんな感じ、というのではなく、きちんと数を数えてギザギザの形を一つ一つ訪ね歩き、『見て描く』。こうして克明に忠実に描き上げた群馬の絵には必ず完成した日付、いつどこで採集したのか、あるいは誰にいつもらったのかなどの覚書が書き込まれている。群馬が描かなかったら、表舞台に出ることもなく消えていった葉っぱである。一枚の葉っぱの存在証明、そしてそれは群馬自身の存在の証、なのかもしれない。 
そんな葉画家・群馬直美が、今展覧会では純粋視覚領域から飛び出し、隣家の子供が怖がって泣いた表現の世界に舞い戻り、葉っぱの絵に新たな息吹を吹き込む。具体的には、これまで作品の脇役であったキャプションに光を当てる。群馬の書いた線画イラストや文章が大画面のマステドローイング作品となり、繊細で静謐な葉っぱの絵とともに『この世に生を受け生まれ出た人間が出会った小さき命の輝き』を鑑賞者の内に刻印する。英国王立園芸協会主催 RHS London Botanical Art and Photography Show 2019で、ゴールドメダル及び最高賞を受賞した『神の仕業ー下仁田ネギの一生ー』の六枚組の作品も出品予定である。  
 
 
Naomi Gunma calls herself a leaf painter and continues to paint pictures of leaves.
When Gunma was a student at an art school, she created a work called “The Most Beautiful Thing in the World.” She was shocked when a child from the house next door saw it and was frightened and cried, and she began to doubt her own senses. Whenever she felt something, a voice in her head would say, “Is that really true?” and she was unable to create anything. What saved Gunma from this situation was the beauty and vitality of the shining new green leaves that sprouted on dead branches in the early spring sunlight. From that day on, Gunma began creating works with the theme of “leaves.” After ten years of groping in the dark, the words “Everything in this world has the same value and is a shining existence” took root in Gunma’s heart. Inspired by this “spirit of leaves,” she has lovingly painted natural objects that are close to our feet, such as a single leaf, a single acorn, a withered flower, a winter bud, etc., for over thirty years.
Gunma paints “at full size, exactly as she sees it.” It’s easy to say in one word. Gunma focuses his eyes on the tiny insect bite marks on the leaves that have been eaten by insects. He holds his breath as he watches the subtle discoloration and asks himself, “How should I paint this?” as he paints. His answer is always, “I paint what I see.” It’s very primitive, but he says, “That’s the only way.” He doesn’t just paint the jagged edges of the leaves roughly, but counts them carefully, visiting each and every jagged shape, and “draws by looking.” Gunma’s paintings, which he paints in this way with meticulous fidelity, always include notes such as the date of completion, when and where he collected the leaves, or who gave them to him. If Gunma hadn’t painted them, the leaves would have vanished without ever making it to the public eye. It’s proof of the existence of a single leaf, and perhaps it’s proof of Gunma’s own existence.
In this exhibition, Gunma Naomi, a leaf artist, will step out of the purely visual realm, return to the world of expression that frightened the child next door into tears, and breathe new life into her leaf paintings. Specifically, she will shine a spotlight on the captions that have played a supporting role in her works up until now. Gunma’s line drawings and texts will be transformed into large-scale print drawings, and together with her delicate and tranquil leaf paintings, they will imprint in the viewer’s mind “the brilliance of the small lives that humans encounter when they are born into this world.” A set of six pieces, “God’s Work – The Life of Shimonita Leeks,” which won the Gold Medal and the highest award at the RHS London Botanical Art and Photography Show 2019, organized by the Royal Horticultural Society, will also be exhibited.

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