Japanese artist Miho Nishibe composes acrylic and oil on canvas works in which vidid colors, inspired by Japanese nature, energetically interact to create cheerful, expressive images. Her work aims to convey human emotions, and inspire hope, optimism, and fun. As she focuses on expressing human emotions, she also draws inspiration from both positive and negative feeling and experiences. A highly empathetic person, Nishibe draws on the vast range of emotions she absorbs from her world, and channels them into her work.

Her creative process consists of translating an image from her mind onto the canvas, first by freehand drawing, followed by a carefully planned application of paint. In her work, Nishibe channels influences from neo-expressionist art, scum art, surrealism, and Japanese contemporary art. The influence from Japanese culture is strong, as she incorporates colors, figures, and symbols into her pieces, distinct to her native culture. She states that she is attracted not only to vivid colors and the way things fit together, she is also “attracted to the way things break.” So, she often creates a duality of emotions in her paintings, reflecting the positive and the negative. She states “it is difficult to live in an [increasingly unequal] society,” but her message is “we should live it up and have fun.”