Tomoko Kashiki

is a Japanese artist based in Kyoto, Japan. She is known for her paintings, which often portray dreamlike scenes of lone female figures.

Early life and education Kashiki was born in Kyoto City, Japan.

In 2006, she earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in oil painting and in 2008, a Master of Fine Arts degree in painting, both from Kyoto City University of Arts. In 2011, she earned a PhD in painting from Kyoto City University of Arts. Kashiki's paintings are often compared to Surrealist works because of the "melted" quality of her subject matter and individualized technique.

Kashiki reinforces themes that are found elsewhere in contemporary Japanese art such as providing immersive visual escapes from society's uneasiness left from recent natural disasters like the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami.

Subject matter The intricate details of Kashiki's work is said to be influenced by Buddhist art from the Heian period.

Kashiki primarily paints female figures and is said to also draw inspiration from Bijin-ga style of depicting beautiful women, a central theme from the ukiyo-e genre of Japanese art. "...gesture, facial expression, pose, specific objects, background, location, situation, composition, surface texture, line thickness, nexus of layers, degree of blurring" all become relevant considerations to her vision.