Edi Matsumoto was born and raised in Japan. Her maternal great-grandfather was a traditional Japanese artist who painted birds, flowers, and snow-capped mountains using an ink brush technique. She grew up in an environment where art was valued. Her interest in art was cultivated at an early age.
Edi Matsumoto holds a bachelor's degree in anthropology from Tsukuba University in Japan. After traveling around Southeast Asia, exploring cultures, and volunteering at Mother Theresa's Home for the Dying Destitute in Calcutta, India, she came to the U.S. She earned a Master's degree in Nursing, and she has worked in the healthcare field for over 29 years.
Encouraged by her family, Matsumoto began taking art classes at a community college. In 2018, she earned her second Master's degree in Fine Art from the Academy of Art University in San Francisco.
Matsumoto's work has won numerous awards and has been shown at galleries and museums locally, nationally, and internationally including the Palace of Fine Arts in San Francisco, the Triton Museum of Arts in Santa Clara, and Pacific Grove Art Center, and in prestigious art magazines including Fine Art Connoisseur and American Art Collector.
Since retiring from hospital work in 2021, she divides her time between artmaking and coaching. She helps identify and remove obstacles for people stuck on the spiritual path and seek liberation so they can live from a perspective greater than themselves.
Her additional work can be seen on her website www.EdiMatsumoto.com and on Instagram @edimatsumoto. Her studio is located inside the Church of the Wayfarer in downtown Carmel.
* This statement has been provided directly by the artist in association to their 16th International ARC Salon entries. This content has not been edited for typos or grammatical errors and has not been vetted for accuracy.