Aki is an award-winning portraitist who received her B.F.A from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor as well as a degree in Fashion Design from the Fashion Institute of Technology in NYC. After working as a fashion and handbag designer for over 12 years, Aki returned to her love of art in 2014. When she explored different mediums, she found a real connection with watercolor in Frederick Brosen’s class at the Art Students League in Manhattan. As she discovered her love for this medium, her world opened up. She is still inspired by the colors, mood, and attitudes in fashion imagery and a significant part of her work is portraits of fashion models. Aki has completed many portrait commissions and her work has been widely displayed in prestigious juried shows, museums, and galleries. Her paintings have been featured numerous times in major art magazines such as Fine Art Connoisseur.