Makoto Okawa

1976 - 2016

Okawa worked with 3D felt, and 2D painting. He liked to add his sense of humour into his work.

Makoots;

Makoots are felt dolls he made that also sometimes appear in his paintings. No 2 makoots are the same, and they are based on humans, worms and octopi.
He used wool and a needle to shape the dolls. This technique is called felting and is the process of turning wool into felt.
They portray emotions of happiness, sadness, anger and pleasure, depending on his mood, as if acting as his alter ego.

His Makoots have influenced my work as I often like to include non-human characters to portray emotions or meanings, just as Okawa did with these models.