The Story of Etoupe Abstracts

We were seeing more and more beautiful AI-generated illustrations and photographs, and AI-generated images were becoming increasingly common in presentations and lecture slides. However, even after adjusting the prompts myself, I often felt frustrated because I couldn’t create a piece that truly satisfied me. Then one day, I thought, “Why not try painting with real paints myself!” That same day, I ordered an acrylic paint set and canvas from Amazon, eagerly awaiting their arrival.

My inspiration for starting abstract painting came from the many beautiful AI images that flooded the market.

I dreamt of creating the poster illustration for the 2028 conference of the Japanese Society for Cardiovascular Disease Prevention, where I would serve as conference chair… and my imagination ran wild. For someone with almost no painting experience, this was a new challenge, and I was so excited, like the night before a school trip, that I couldn’t sleep.

The night the paints arrived, I immediately began painting. The way colors blended together, the moment unexpectedly beautiful hues were born, the moment a randomly drawn line suddenly came alive and gained presence—the pure excitement I felt as a child suddenly came flooding back. From that night on, I began to tightly close the study door at night to prevent the cats from getting in, leaving the cold room unheated, and simply dedicating time to painting.

I started uploading my accumulated works to an online gallery and short videos showcasing multiple abstract paintings in sequence to social media. To my surprise, many more people viewed them than I expected, and I realized this could also be used to promote Go Red for Women Japan.

Around that time, registration numbers for the “Go Red for Women Japan Health Seminar 2026 in Tokyo” were stagnating. We were trying everything—new newspaper inserts, PR TIMES distribution, daily posts on official social media—but nothing seemed to work. The reason was clear: my followers, as the poster, were inevitably limited to a small circle within the industry.

Therefore, we shifted to a style of regularly uploading short videos of abstract paintings, cross-posting between our dedicated online gallery account, our real-name account, and the academic society’s official account. By analyzing the days and times with the highest view counts, and incorporating publicity for Go Red for Women Japan, the numbers suddenly skyrocketed.

The Birth of Etoupe Abstracts
This is how the online gallery “Etoupe Abstracts” was born.
Regarding the origin of the account name, “Abstracts” was immediately decided as a word representing abstract painting. Also, I wanted to include my favorite color, and “Etoupe” came to mind. It’s a soft, elegant nuanced color, somewhere between gray and beige.
A long time ago, when I was desperately trying to appear more important than I was, I was obsessed with Hermès bags, and this Etoupe color was my particular favorite. I was so happy to have a matching wallet, handbag, and pouch in the same color, but then one day I suddenly realized—that there were so many other stores selling beautiful Etoupe-colored items! Since then, this color has become special to me; whenever I see it, I can’t help but reach for it.

Recalling that, I decided on the name “Etoupe Abstracts” for my online gallery.

I’ve numbered each piece in my series of abstract paintings that I create late at night. Before I knew it, I had over 150. Lately, I’ve been having so much fun painting that I can’t wait for the weekend nights when I can stay up late.

What I’ve come to realize again through continuing my creative work is, unfortunately, that I don’t have the dexterity for detailed painting or realistic depiction. I’m not good at faithfully reproducing real models or photographs. But, following my emotions and moods of the day, engaging in a dialogue with color, accepting the unique shapes and hues that chance creates, and sometimes being moved by those miracles as I paint—this current style is very comfortable and I love it.

Etoupe Abstracts has been a small reward for me, an extension of my work, and above all, a precious time for self-reflection. I want to continue drawing slowly but surely from now on.