Meet The Matsumotos

Ikki means Single Horseman in Japanese. He loved to read, sail, garden, cook Japanese, and watch Sumo when he wasn't painting, but he was happiest at his drawing table.

Polly grew up in rural southwestern Ohio. She loved life... travel, animals, gardening, reading, and so much more. Her hands were always busy doing something. She was the motor that ran our family and the glue that kept us tomorrow. 

Katsuji was a Japanese illustrator and shōjo manga artist. Matsumoto's 16-page The Mysterious Clover is recognized as a pioneering work in the field of manga, but he is best known for his shōjo manga Kurukuru Kurumi-chan, serialized from 1938 to 1940, and again from 1949 to 1954. He has been named a Pioneer of Kawaii.

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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Katsuji_Matsumoto

https://katsudi.com/en/homepage/

"Artist Rumi O’Brien’s quilts are intimate narratives of her life. Whether set in her everyday world of Madison, Wisconsin or in an imaginary landscape, the quilts are always deeply personal. 
 
Rumi O’Brien grew up in Tokyo, Japan, the daughter of seminal manga (comic book) artist Katsuji Matsumoto. Later, she moved to the United States to train as a watercolorist. For the past 50 years she has lived in Madison, where, several decades ago, she also began making quilts."

— Text from the website of the International Quilt Museum, University of Nebraska-Lincoln

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To a Book about her Quilts:

https://www.amazon.com/Striding-Lines-Unique-Quilts-OBrien/dp/0299325547/ref=sr_1_2?crid=30QX4759GFIC1&keywords=striding+lines&qid=1697218892&sprefix=string+lines%2Caps%2C109&sr=8-2

Bin moved back to Ohio after serving in the US Army. He Worked for the US Postal Service for some time, but always continued taking photographs. He has a super outgoing and handsome son named Hunter.  

Tai found his life-long passion in high school. He took a class in high school where they built a house for a class credit. He moved back to Fort Myers Florida after graduating from Florida International University with a BS in Architectural Studies. He is also the Certified General Contractor for the company. Before venturing out on his own, Tai worked as a carpenter, superintendent, project manager and architectural coordinator with several local builders. His beautiful wife, Bonita, has her Business Degree and manages the administrative operations at Matsumoto Designs, as well as working closely with the homeowners to guide them through the exterior and interior selections. They have 3 beautiful and talented children, Sydney, Piper, and Dakota (all shown in the photo.)

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https://www.matsumotodesignsinc.com/

I loved doing art as a kid, but growing up on a small island, where your parent is a celebrity, makes it very intimidating to follow in their foot steps. I tried jewelry for a while and even did 3 pelican pieces with Dad. And truthfully, I lived with years of undiagnosed mental illness and in turn, a drug addiction, but now I have been clean and on medication for Bi-Polar for 15 years. Plus, weekly therapy sessions help with building myself back up. 

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I was a picture framer when Dad died and about 6 months after my father passed I had the strongest desire to paint, so I picked up a paint brush. I wish there were more hours in the day... and I had more energy. I like to work with my hands, but I wish I would have had the confidence to go to art school, so I would know the techniques.  

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I have helped my mother over the years with my father's artwork. We started the book project together with Steve Saari, but she passed before it was completed. She would have been happy with how it turned out. They both would have approved. I have two wonderful children Christopher and Snow. With their help and the loving support of my husband Steve, I'm expanding and preserving my Father's legacy while getting to explore my own ventures.

Ki emerged as a sculptor from the John Herron School of Art in Indianapolis. Forty-six years ago he began teaching sculpting, Navajo weaving and cabinet building at ASIJ. Later he offered a course in stained glass and went to Washington to learn to use glass as a medium for sculpture. He went on sabbatical leave to study glass at the University of Applied Arts in Prague. On a two-year leave of absence he went to ASIJ's sister school in Australia to teach sculpture, pottery and woodblock printing. Pre-eminently, he is an international exhibiting sculptor.