Local Artist Hajime Ohno Showcased At Temecula Valley Museum

TEMECULA, CA — A local resident's artwork is on public display at the Temecula Valley Museum, and the pieces showcase his Japanese ancestry.

The exhibit "Ancestry and Animals: The Art of Hajime Ohno" runs Aug. 12 through Dec. 4 at the museum located at 28314 Mercedes Street. Ohno's works are inspired by his heritage and the beauty and resilience of the animals that pique his curiosity.

“Arts and culture elevate a community while providing a sense of place, belonging, and pride. We are pleased to offer this opportunity for local artist Hajime Ohno to feature his work at the Temecula Valley Museum," Temecula Mayor Matt Rahn said in a news release about the exhibit. "Mr. Ohno’s original artwork is outstanding and an example of the incredibly talented artists living and working right here in the Temecula Valley.”

According to his biography from the Fallbrook Arts Center, Ohno is a native of Hokkaido, the northernmost island of Japan. He studied art/illustration and graphic art in the United States during the 1980s.

His favorite illustrators/painters include Howard Pyle, N.C. Wyeth, Frederic Remington and John William Waterhouse, according to his bio.

"My current projects consist of portrait drawings/paintings (animal or/and human) and oil paintings depicting rice farmers in early 1960s Hokkaido (which we were). The mediums I normally use are pencils and oils," his bio states.

He said he finds inspiration from a variety of different artists such as Alphonse Mucha, Hiroshige (Ukiyo-e artist), Gian Lorenzo Bernini, John Singer Sargent, John William Waterhouse, N. C. Wyeth, and Norman Rockwell, according to the bio.

"While working on a new project, I hope to discover something new in the process, technically or thematically," the bio reads. "When it happens, I try to incorporate that new discovery into that artwork. It does not happen often, but when it happens, it gives me extra fun and motivation."

For more information about the "Ancestry and Animals: The Art of Hajime Ohno" exhibit, visit TemeculaValleyMuseum.org or call 951-694-6450.

The museum is open 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday. Admission is a suggested donation of $5 per person or $10 per family.