物語
STORY
Living and creating are one. This is our creed. We met by overcoming all barriers of language, background, culture and geography, and now we are a married couple making things in Tokyo. That is who we are. Our work is also our way of life. Here is the story of Marshall Lock & Yuki.
Introduction
My name is Marshall Locke. My wife is Yuki Locke. I was born in the cotton-producing region of Rossendale, Lancashire, England, as the second of three children to my mother, Vera, a housewife, and my father, Frederick, a factory worker. It was an industrial area where cotton textile production was the main focus, and my environment was far from painting or the arts. However, I was fascinated by creativity and the arts from a young age, and fortunately, my work began to be highly praised at school and in the local community at an early age.He had intended to pursue a career in painting as his calling, but when he was just 15, his father, who was abusive at home, decided to pull him out of school and send him to work in a nearby cotton factory.
The era of learning
In my youth, I worked as a manual laborer, an unsung hero of British society, as a cotton factory worker, construction worker, grave digger, concrete pourer, sewer pipe layer, and many other jobs. I found beauty in the work I did, working with tools and changing the environment, and my love for painting, art and beauty never faded. In those days, before the Internet, I would go to the public library every day after work until late at night, poring over old books on sculpture and art, and continuing to teach myself painting and sculpture brought me deep joy.My colleagues at the site treated me like an oddball and a hermit because I was only interested in creating beautiful things alone, drinking and enjoying parties at the pub after my daily physical labor. But I didn't care. I was driven by my passion for the joy of creating beautiful things.
Craftsmanship and art
Gradually, he discovered that he could create unique shapes not only using oil paintings, but also using stone, leather, and wood. He established an atelier to produce handmade horse tack, leather art pieces, and large stone sculptures that incorporated traditional designs, and the business was well-received and ran smoothly. However, years of hard labor caused him to develop osteoarthritis.
My doctor told me that if I continued to handle heavy sculptures of stone and wood, I would have to end up in a wheelchair. This setback ultimately gave me the opportunity to once again devote myself to oil painting, something I had given up on for many years.
Orkney Islands
After that, I was fascinated by the fantastical scenery of the Orkney Islands in Scotland, and opened a handmade studio and gallery on the small island. I have been fortunate to have my large landscape paintings travel to the hands of people in many countries, including North America, Europe, and South Africa, bringing healing, fostering sympathy, and giving me the joy of being loved.Orkney is a beautiful island of sea, wind and greenery. While I continue to create in this beautiful island, strangely enough, on my long journey of searching for beauty, I have often traveled to a faraway island on the other side of the world, Japanese culture, the aesthetics of tools and vessels, and the delicate and sensitive coexistence with nature, and each time I have been deeply moved by these experiences, they have struck a chord in my heart.
A mysterious encounter
There's a cool expression in Japanese that says, "Encounters are strange." After my late spouse passed away after a fierce battle with pancreatic cancer, I became completely mentally exhausted from caring for him and for a while I couldn't pick up a paintbrush. Dark days continued. My worried friends tried to cheer me up somehow by having me secretly join an international pen pal website for artists and painters.I was reluctant at first, but I joined in. After a while, the works of a certain artist caught my eye. We started exchanging opinions about art and each other's works, and our correspondence gradually grew into talking about each other's life experiences, values, pain and joy, and quickly developed into something more than just pen pals.
Two people's life
She was living in Canada at the time, and before entering the world of painting, she was a professor at a French-Canadian university, where she taught cultural anthropology for many years. Coincidentally, she had also lost her beloved life partner to illness. We had a long and deep exchange of letters, not by video call, but by exchanging text and pictures. Through our correspondence, I learned that she was born in Tokyo to Japanese and German parents, and was familiar with the diverse cultures of Japan, Canada, France, Belgium, Germany, and more.
This was Yuki, my now wife and collaborator. We were married in Orkney and have been living a quiet, productive and creative life ever since, in a studio/gallery/home that I built myself, right in front of the sea.
New Life in Tokyo
However, as time passed, Yuki's parents, both of whom lived in Tokyo, began to require 24-hour care. It took a big decision to close our studio and gallery, which had been going smoothly, and move to the unknown world of Tokyo, Japan. But in my heart, it was clear that this was the right decision. We took the plunge and came to Japan to be able to care for them full-time.This is how I, who used to paint and sculpt in a small workshop on an isolated island in the northern tip of Scotland, have now opened a small atelier called Shinra Bansho in a small, green town in Tokyo, Japan, where I have begun creating and exhibiting my work under the watchful eye of my wife's parents.
Japan and I, From now on
For me, nature is the greatest teacher. Japan's four seasons, nature, and scenery always awaken my eyes. Jewel-like birds and insects, flowers that can be found everywhere in the city, clear moonlit skies. And the uniquely Japanese view of nature, which is acutely felt in everyday life. For me, every day is a series of wonderful discoveries. Beauty knows no borders.
Thanks to you, our works have evoked a quiet sympathy and have become deeply loved by the people of Japan. I will continue to create beautiful things with my wife Yuki, with all my heart and gratitude for our daily lives. I would like to continue to walk through each day with joy and gratitude, knowing that we will continue to deliver beautiful things to the people of Japan, with all our heart.
