Inspired by birds, made in the Hudson Valley with a Japanese folk art aesthetic
I am a self-taught artist from Japan who is based in Columbia County, NY. Using the hand-cut paper skill I have practiced for over two decades, I create stencil illustrations, collage art and cyanotype prints. I am a birder and often find inspiration in the natural landscapes and country life in the Hudson Valley, where I live. My goal is to connect with nature lovers and support environmental conservation works through my art. Past commissions include artworks for the Nature Conservancy, New York City’s Department of Transportation, NYC Parks, Atlantic Magazine, and National Audubon Society.
My greeting cards and art prints are produced in-house and on-demand, using high-quality paper made from sustainable sources.
I host a monthly radio program Beakuency: Meet Bird People in Hudson Valley! on Wave Farm's WGXC, a community radio station based in Greene County, NY.
American Robin Flock in Flight, the piece featured in the Audubon Magazine.
News
September 2024 - Catskill Visitor Center Art Show
I have 7 pieces on view at the Catskill Visitor Center in Mt Tremper, Ulster County.The show includes Reilly Pond Ecosystem, a painting I created for the information kiosk installed in Wilson M. Powell Wildlife Sanctuary in Old Chatham, NY, and Platte Clove Preserve, a stencil painting that captured a snapshot of the unique ecological composition of the Catskill Center’s Platte Clove Preserve in Elka Park, NY. Also a couple of cyanotype prints, a paper cutout piece, and paintings made with natural pigments I had extracted from local rocks. The show runs through November.
The CVC is the official visitor center for the Catskill Park and is operated by Catskill Center in partnership with the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation. Explore the peaceful grounds to discover the 80-foot tall Upper Esopus Fire Tower; 1.5 miles of nature trails (including ADA accessible trails); picnic areas; a covered pavilion; wildlife viewing; Esopus Creek access and much more. Whether you’re new to the area, just passing through or here to stay for the season, make us your first stop when you arrive in the Catskills — our friendly staff is here year-round with all the info, maps, and advice you need to plan your best Catskill adventure!
August 2024 - Beakuency on WGXC with Kathryn J. Schneider
Beakuency welcomes Kathryn J. Schneider, a Claverack native, who has spent decades studying the behavior, ecology, and distribution of birds. An award-winning author, teacher, and conservationist, she is a past president of the New York State Ornithological Association. We discuss her book Birding the Hudson Valley, a thorough guidebook that provides all the knowledge you need to start birding including where to go, what to bring, and how to join the birders community, and more. Her insights give us a deeper understanding of the natural landscapes that are home to the birds we see, and encourage us to support positive changes in conservation work.
Photo of Kathy by Sandra Harrington.
July 2024 - A Silent Auction for Summit Lake
My bald eagle painting is in a silent auction to raise funds for the Summit Lake Conservation Group’s continued legal challenge to the housing development by the lake for its potential negative impact on wildlife.
Check out the auction here.
The Alan Devoe Bird Club has recorded regular sightings of bald eagle at the lake for the last 10 years. The Cornell University Lab of Ornithology’s database for this site has 95 species, including bald eagle.
Sue Senecah, the Chair of ADBC, wrote on this in more detail:
https://imby.com/post/154250
I wrote my thoughts on this Summit Lake development on my blog post here:
https://mayukofujino.com/blog/f/a-silent-auction-for-summit-lake
The auction runs through Aug 4, 2024 6:00 PM EDT.
June 2024 Cutout Art x Cyanotype at FUD
The Hall of the New York State Environment is my favorite section at the American Museum of Natural History. I liked to pretend that their installations were portals to other parts of the world and imagine walking into them. I wanted to present the paper cutout pieces used to create my cyanotype art in a way similar to how the hall felt to me.
This project is site-specific and combines cyanotype and paper cutout art. Production takes place at a variety of local nature spots and historic sites in the Hudson Valley. The cyanotype pieces were activated by the sunlight, and shadows of cutout created the pattern. They were designed based on what inspired me at the site that time and day.
I tried to make each lightbox look like a window in which you can see the sunlight from the other side of the portal. Lightboxes will be installed in the dark at the FUD space. This installation is funded by Columbia County Creative Catalyst Grant, CREATE Council on the Arts' initiative sponsored by the Columbia County Legislators.
FUD is in the old waterfront building in Red Hook, Brooklyn. The address is 481 Van Brunt St 11C. We’re opening on Friday, June 28th at 5pm.
May 2024 - Timeless Tides: Legacy and Vision at Constitution Marsh
I am delighted to have my Scarlet Tanager at Constitution Marsh piece featured on the invite of Spring Benefit 2024 Timeless Tides: Legacy and Vision at Constitution Marsh.
"Constitution Marsh Audubon Center and Sanctuary is at the heart of Audubon’s work to protect birds and the places they need in New York. On Sunday, May 5, 2024, join us as we gather at the home of Mary Elizabeth and Jeff Bunzel, overlooking the Marsh to celebrate Constitution Marsh, its history, its current and critical conservation initiatives, as well as a vision for an even greater impact in training and mentoring future climate and conservation leaders!"
April 2024 - The best nature-focused websites on Wild With Nature
Thanks Shane Sater for introducing my art and Beakuency, my radio show focused on bird people in the Hudson Valley, in “The Best Nature-focused Websites and Podcasts” on Wild With Nature where he shares bilingual (EN/ES) stories of birds, plants, and other creatures, celebrating how nature connects us all.
I wrote about his stories in this blog post.
March 2024 - Cover Illustration for The Nature Conservancy’s 2023 global Annual Report
I created this cover illustration for One Planet, One Future, The Nature Conservancy’s 2023 global Annual Report. I tried to capture the theme of seeking solutions that balance the needs of people and nature presented in the stories that appear in this publication.
Mayuko created a stunning custom illustration for the cover of The Nature Conservancy’s 2023 global Annual Report, one of our flagship publications. She brought our report’s themes to life elegantly with an illustration that highlighted animals, landscapes and people in striking relationship with one another—using negative space, bold colors and a dynamic layout. She was collaborative, thoughtful and considerate to work with, providing a variety of visual concepts and working closely with us to refine the final product. Our team was blown away by this illustration!
– Wilson Peden, Associate Director of Editorial & Content, The Nature Conservancy
February 2024 - Swarthmore College Bulletin
I created cover and opener illustrations for Swarthmore College Bulletin Winter 2024 issue. The opener image accompanies stories of Swarthmore's alumni advocating for women's health, food security, and human rights.
I think we find a sense of hope in working with one another. So discussions with Phillip Stern, the designer of the Bulletin, were an important part of making these pieces about hope in fraught times. We chatted not only about the art direction but also birds and nature, optimism and fear, the role of art in this world and the time that we live in right now. It helped set the uplifting and thoughtful mood for the artworks.
Mayuko’s cover and story opener for the Bulletin are stunning! Her clean but evocative style of collage and stencil is refreshing and flexible. A great collaborator, she helped us to explore ways to visually welcome readers into difficult topics. Her sensitivity to the subject-matter and artistic innovation are both greatly appreciated. We wouldn’t hesitate to hire her again.
—Phillip Stern, Designer, Swarthmore College Bulletin
January 2024 - Featured as Natural Earth Paint's Eco Artist of the Month
I did an interview with Natural Earth Paint for their Eco Artist of the Month series. I'm grateful for this opportunity to discuss natural pigments, birding, nature as subject matter, and the influence of the Mingei folk art movement on my work. Natural Earth Paint is an award-winning and Gold certified Green America business that uses natural earth and mineral pigments and organic ingredients to make completely safe, sustainable, and beautiful art supplies for children and fine artists. I've been using their natural pigments and arabic gum to create the Birds of Hudson Valley painting series.