Yumi Yamazaki is an emerging American artist.

The world of Yumi's characters is full of heavy mist, plunging us into an emotional maze.

01. Ice is sleeping water

Yumi's initial meeting with art was not fluid.
She remembers watching DreamWorks' "How to Train Your Dragon" when she was a child, her eyes and mind suddenly awakened to the infinite possibilities of expression. It was like nothing else she had ever experienced.
Her parents were not very supportive about studying art. They are scientists and doctors and naturally think that a more exact profession is more promising. Although they were worried about their daughter's life after choosing art, they finally supported Yumi's decision to apply to the University of the Arts.

Yumi embraced art entirely. From not understanding what having a portfolio means, to graduating from the top art academy in California, she has come full circle. She once was afraid of her parents' deepest worries, that the end of this road would be a dismal place. However when one’s dreams are so bright, even the darkest shadows can be illuminated; in college, she did her best and never relented.
The growing uphill road is like a cold winter, and the difficulty is the frozen ice, which is firmly attached to the necessary road. We can only break the ice bit by bit. Spring will come, ice will melt into water, and we can swim along the melting water into a more beautiful world.

02. Saplings at Shuangliu Confluence

Yumi's parents were originally Japanese, and her family immigrated to the United States when she was one year old. The family still returns to Japan to visit her grandparents every year.

The time in Japan made Yumi feel extremely comfortable. Life is simple and beautiful. She can return to the culture and customs of her hometown and deeply feel her own roots and trace them to wherever they may lead.

She loves Japanese culture, Ghibli movies, and traditional meatloaf rice. These bits and pieces of her Japanese culture have allowed Yumi to interpret the aesthetics that she has learned in the United States from different perspectives. Her cognition and perception of the culture and art of the two countries have gradually produced subtle chemical reactions.

Japanese artworks are often beautiful and detailed, while American artworks are usually more bold and innovative. The works she creates at Disney are more American-style, though in her personal masterpiece "Red Ribbon" series, there are shadows of Japanese culture through exquisite drawing and natural expression of emotion.

For Yumi, having a multi-national cultural background is a very fortunate thing. She also reluctantly said: "Many Japanese artworks are very cute and beautifully designed. But artists working in Japan are not recognized and respected as American artists. I am lucky to start my career in the United States. ."

Although Yumi is in the United States, she will continue to spread Japanese culture and art with her unique artistic expression.