Yumiko Tomobe was born in Mito City, Japan, in 1979. She studied printmaking at the University of the Arts, Philadelphia, PA, receiving a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in 2002. She received a Master of Fine Arts degree from the New York Academy in 2004, where she studied classical drawing.

Using mixed medium, Tomobe expresses her ideas in both two and three dimensions. Her work has been shown at The Boston Printmakers North American Print Biennial, Boston, MA • Medialia... Rack and Hamper Gallery, New York, NY • Mini Print International Cadaques, Barcelona, Spain • Asian Arts Initiative, Philadelphia, PA • Art Works Gallery, Mito City, Japan • FIDEM XXIX Congress (International Art Medal Congress), Seixal, Portugal • FIDEM XXVIII Congress, Paris, France.

Tomobe became interested in landscape drawing when she attended a Painting/Drawing Session at Chateau de Balleroy, Normandy, France, in the summer of 2004. This two-week trip was awarded by New York Academy of Art to students demonstrating academic excellence. In Normandy, she worked intensively from observation and under markedly varied weather conditions. During this trip, Tomobe's new experience in nature merged with her concentration on human figures and portraits. She is also interested in the aspect of miniaturized landscape, such as topiary and bonsai. Tomobe chose pen and ink as her primary drawing material for the immediacy of effect.

This unique exhibition, DENATURAL, is a series of work from observed nature combined with her own imagined world.

This exhibition at Medialia... Rack and Hamper Gallery is Tomobe's first solo exhibition.

February 2nd through 22nd, 2005