Today we’d like to introduce you to Goro Endow.
Hi Goro, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
Ever since I can remember, I’ve always enjoyed drawing and loved seeing pictures. From elementary school to high school days, I was, almost every year, recognized as the best artist in my class by the class teachers and classmates. However, my first ever cherished future dream job was not art-related one. It was to become a musician. I’d become a huge Keith Richards fan in junior high and to be a rock star guitarist like him was my first dream. From around sixteen to over thirty years old my life was primarily dedicated to making and performing music, Rock&Roll. However, the youth life never turned out to be as I wished it to be, there was no luck and potentials in me to be a signed musician neither for a major label nor for an independent one in any country. At age thirty one, I was deeply disappointed with that fact and had totally given up Rock&Roll. A couple of years before I gave up music I traveled to New York city to promote my demo and there I had a destined meeting with a small art book of Francis Bacon at the bookstore in Manhattan. His work was a tremendous impact in my eyes. Then, for one and a half years since the next year of that trip I had worked at an art gallery in my local big city Sendai and saw a lot of paintings and prints of such as twentieth century French figurative painters while I was working there. Consequently, through those kinds of encounters and experiences my childhood love for art was rekindled again in my heart after long years. Although I gave up my music dream, I still hated to do an ordinary job for my profession. At that point in my life, my next, second dream: to become an artist, painter, sprang to my mind. I was full of determination to avenge my youth loss as an obscure musician by becoming a successful painter instead. I clearly remember, on 1st September 2007, I took up my painting and drawing endeavors by self-taught training. Below is the list of major events and promotions since I started painting.
2008- First solo exhibition in Tokyo
2009- With 33 earliest artworks consigned to London-based art dealer Antoine Becaglia
2009- First paper media magazine feature
2011- Expo Art Fair in Tielt Belgium
2012 to 2013- Released first art book ‘Sonata Art Gallery’ through Virgo eBooks USA in paperback and ebook
2019- Art Basel Miami Beach
2023- Won 1st place Fantasy Category and 2nd place in the overall Touch Of Blue Expo, USA
2026- Total artwork output is over 3500 pieces
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
In terms of creativity (actual practices of art creation) it has just been going smoothly. In the earliest stage of my painter life I had happened to find that I can always finish painting my work very quickly and being just prolific. My work is incessantly evolving and developing so there was no slump as far as I remember until now. However, in terms of art business, my career has been full of obstacles. I could barely sell 24 originals from 2007 to 2017 and there is no sale from 2018 up to the present. In addition to that I was diagnosed as schizophrenia in 2014 and am now still being treated. Suffering hard from the disease, I had completely stopped painting work for entire three years from 2014 to 2016. That was a very hard, painful period being unable to paint due to my own health situations.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I am a painter/draftsman specialized in works on paper art. My technics and styles are chameleon-like, weaving together oriental and occidental sense of beauties. I do portrait, landscape, abstract, still life, by pencil drawing, mixed media colored drawing, acrylic painting, etc… I am a very prolific, quick making painter/draftsman who usually finish in around 30 to 40 minutes per work on average.
Risk taking is a topic that people have widely differing views on – we’d love to hear your thoughts.
Because of my deep and huge love for and pride in art, my life is full of risks. I went broke three times in the first five years since I became a painter. And each time I the pity fool asked parents for help, they kindly gave me about my one month living costs then with that money I had to look for new way to earn my keep to be back on my feet. Except for creating art and music I have no vocational skills plus I decided that I will never do teaching jobs. So I need to make money by selling my art. First thing upon hearing the word ‘risk’ I remind of the word ‘aesthetic’. People just like me may be leading a highly risky life to be true to his/her aesthetics and some people, to the contrary, is able to live on their aesthetics almost without risks. It just depends on what kind of pride and aesthetics you cherish. That automatically decides how much risky or not risky your life is going to be.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://goroendow.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/goroendowart
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/goroendowart, https://www.facebook.com/goroendow
