Subjects in Nora Aoyagi’s artwork often reference characters and symbols from common folklore and fairy tales. These classic motifs construct a complex narrative that is deeply personal yet immediately familiar. Through a variety of mediums including drawing, painting, and printmaking, she builds upon her lexicon of characters and symbols, drawing on her influences of traditional children's book illustration, Japanese wood block prints, folk art, and the punk DIY aesthetic. Her images often possess a duality in which unlikely elements are present at one time, like when the unassuming girl emerges from the fearsome wolf with knife in-hand; or when the bear claws at his chest, revealing a stripe of shining gold beneath his thick black fur. Within this narrative, both the strange and beautiful dwell.

Nora Aoyagi currently lives in Berkeley, California. When not drawing wolves and strange ladies, she can be found picnicking at the graveyard or reading at home.

Contact Nora at: noraspooked@yahoo.com