Hiroki Takeda: colorful flowers shape into magical felines

Japan-based artist Hiroki Takeda adds a touch of magic to his paintings of small felines.

Largely rendered in shades of pink and purple with intermittent splashes of blues and greens, Takeda’s watercolor works blend flora and fauna into affectionate cats and kittens caught lounging around or mid-snooze.

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Vines and grasses add fur-like texture and outline the creatures’ figures, which the artist then completes with sprawling gardens brimming with leaves, blossoms, and butterflies.

Takeda says his vivid works are derived from a combination of influences, including his mother’s enthusiasm for plants and his background in caricature, and are the result of experimenting with myriad styles throughout his university studies.

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“One day, I had a moment in my mind when I saw a painting of an animal and its fur looked like a plant,” he says.

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“The idea of combining watercolor with plants and animals felt very natural to me.” he added.