Ken Otsuka

Ken Otsuka was born in Tokyo, Japan in 1944 where he studied at the Aoyama art studio. 

In 1973, he came to America, landing in New York City with just a suitcase and his paintbox. He then enrolled in The Art Students League of New York, where he explored many media.

After an initial phase of infatuation with things American, he began to fall back on his artistic and spiritual roots in Japanese culture – especially the rock gardens of Zen Buddhism – leading him to reflect on life’s ephemerality and nature’s seeming eternity.

Ken continued his fine art through the 1980s and, in 1988, entered commercial art too, painting the covers of romance novels for Harlequin, Bantam Books, and other publishers.  He cherished his time for his own fine art during this period and, in 1997, having grown tired of painting “clinches” (kissing scenes), launched once again full-time into his own fine art grounded in nature.

Over the years, Ken has bonded with the nature of North America, and this nature has been the backdrop for his expression of the concepts of ephemerality and timelessness in his philosophy.  His exhibitions have been held in places rich in natural beauty, from the Adirondack Mountains of Upstate New York to the beachside art hubs of the East Coast.

Ken has taught art at the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York City and at Adult School of Montclair in Montclair, NJ.  In 2006, he moved to the Berkshire Mountains of western Massachusetts, where he resides to this day. 

In December 2021, Ken self-published a book, Futatsu no aida (which translates roughly to “In Between the Two”), in Japan, detailing his philosophy forged through his life of art and contemplation of nature.