Namiko Mahony Namiko Mahony is originally from Japan. She loved drawing and sketching from a young age. Both her parents were very artistic, her mother practiced Sumie and Kamakura Bori (woodcarving) and her farther enjoyed Shodo (Calligraphy). She took art classes during her younger years and she naturally learned watching her family and taught herself. She met her husband when he was stationed in Japan and she was a student at Tokyo Sitoku College and worked as a secretary for a Jewelry Company in Hrajuku Japan. They married and moved to the United States in 1980. Over the next twenty years she was focused on raising their children but never lost her love of painting, sketching and photography. While she had free time, she started taking photos for paintings, such as flowers, birds, landscapes and buildings and captured many inspiring places and things. She started taking classes in acrylic and watercolor and was a student on and off for the next five years. She eventually found and joined The Artists Gallery in 2012 and has enjoyed the many artists, shows and Plein Aire events. She found out about Chesapeake Bay Watercolorist (CBW) from other artists became a member. Her paintings are colorful and detailed work, almost like a photograph, but it’s handmade. She starts out sketching and as she finds her creative inspiration will add the detail and color. Her paintings take their inspiration from nature and life.