Tomoko Ishida
Seattle, WA
Tomoko Ishida is a Japanese photographer and ceramicist based in Seattle, Washington. For over two decades, her practice has moved between the camera and the kiln, finding common ground in the contemplation of light, surface, and impermanence. Her silver gelatin prints, developed by hand in her darkroom, document the landscapes and still lifes of the Pacific Northwest with a quietness rooted in the Japanese aesthetic of wabi-sabi. Her ceramic work — small, unglazed stoneware vessels — often appears as subjects in her photographs. Ishida holds an MFA from the University of Washington and studied photography at Tokyo Zokei University. Her work is in the collections of the Seattle Art Museum, the Portland Art Museum, and the Tacoma Art Museum.
The Process
Background
Education
- 2002MFA, Photography — University of Washington, Seattle, WA
- 1997BA, Photography — Tokyo Zokei University, Tokyo, Japan
Exhibitions
- 2024Quiet Light — Seattle Art Museum, Seattle, WA
- 2021Still Life with Vessel — Portland Art Museum, Portland, OR
Residencies
- 2015Artist in Residence — Haystack Mountain School of Crafts, Deer Isle, ME
Awards
- 2022Artist Trust Fellowship — Artist Trust, Seattle, WA
