82 PUNCHMAGAZINE.COM six-month leave. Several months later, a 9.0 earthquake hit Fukushima, the prefecture next to her own. It leveled centuries-old temples, caused a devastating tsunami and triggered a nuclear plant meltdown. Although she knew she was fortunate to be alive, Harumo says she felt hopeless without having the use of her arm. A silver lining emerged when her former art teacher, Shusei, offered Harumo work as an apprentice and the opportunity to rehabilitate her arm through drawing. Having weathered a similar condition as the result of a stroke, Shusei took Harumo under his wing and coached her back to a fully functioning body. “He said there is always a way to rewire the brain so you can use your arm again,” she recounts. “I started to move a little bit and I thought, why not do what I love and study art in the States? As the eldest daughter, I had so much pressure to be successful. In Japan, being an artist is not a real option I could choose.” Harumo landed at the University at Buffalo in New York where she earned a bachelor’s degree in fine arts. While there, she secured a scholarship to study at New York’s Parsons School of Design for a summer. Even in the face of adversity, Harumo says she strives to appreciate each day and paints with joyful hues. “Color is a symbol of life and celebration,” she emphasizes. “After experiencing disaster, I learned to appreciate the moment I am in.” Now as a wife and the mother of three-year-old Gio, being present takes on new meaning as she finds inspiration for her work in her son and his friends. Today, you can find Harumo at the Cubberley Artist Studio Program in Palo Alto where she is working full-time on multiple PHOTOGRAPHY: COURTESY OF HARUMO SATO / COURTESY OF LANNY NGUYEN CLOCKWISE (top left): Flour Theme: Acorns are Hard to Eat; Home Sweet Home; and Celebration Under the Water, a sea creature-filled mural painted for Pow! Wow! San Jose, a public art event. {home & design}
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