Nobu Haihara

(Japanese/American, b. 1959)

Nobu Haihara is an accomplished landscape painter, portrait artist, super-realist and graphic artist. But his energy and ideas keep him constantly active and evolving as a painter.

Well-known and successful at an early age, Nobu now has his work in the personal collections of President George W. Bush, Los Angeles Lakers owner Jerry Buss, and Hall-of-Famers Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Jerry West, Jamaal Wilkes and the late Chick Hearn. He has been commissioned by Mao Daichi, Japan’s leading musical star; and by NBC and the FOX Network which have used his artwork in set-designs for "Ally McBeal"and "3rd Rock From The Sun". Nobu has been honored with Exhibitions in New York, Sausalito, Beverly Hills, Hiroshima, Yamanashi and Fukuoka, Japan.

Growing up in Kokura, Japan, Nobu credits his parents as early influences on his artistic future. He absorbed Japanese and Western culture, especially books on Monet, Da Vinci and Michelangelo. In school he eagerly studied both classical and modern art, and set out to master them both. But Nobu's interests kept gravitating towards Pop Art, and he saw early on that this was a practical way to make a living while continuing to explore his other passions.

After graduating from University, with a Bachelor of Science Degree, Nobu immigrated to the United States in 1986. Settling in Venice, California, he began by selling his paintings on the Venice boardwalk, which led to numerous commissions for original portraits, landscapes and abstract paintings. Recognized for his creativity, Nobu soon moved up to art shows and galleries. By the early 1990's he had learned the practical art of silk-screening and was successfully reproducing and selling his artwork as serigraphs and mono-prints, printed on an array of materials.

By 1991 he was in charge of the Atelier at Marco Fine Arts, working on prints for Robert Indiana, Donald Sultan, John Asaro, John Nieto, Aldo Luongo and other accomplished artists the company was publishing. Alongside his professional achievements as printmaker, Nobu continued his private work, developing a distinct and personalized style. Painting in both acrylic and oil paints as well as developing his skills as a sculptor and photographer, Nobu applied his new knowledge and techniques to producing his own cutting-edge modernist images that explore the boundaries between commercial and fine arts.

These images are still a part of his oeuvre, but Nobu today is stretching the envelope again with his super-realist images of martinis and shakers, scotch bottles and glasses brimming with color and reflectivity. The colors manage to remind us of both of Nobu's early influences: Renaissance and Pop Art. Dark brooding backgrounds, enlivened by bold modern color spring from the canvas, entertaining us, fascinating us, while they urge us to join in the moment of celebration.