I am not good at expressing my feelings well with words. That is why I often create paintings to express my feelings that I cannot let out. Since painting is my great hope, I had made up my mind not to paint dark themes or negative things as much as possible.
Yet, the reason why I painted a work related to the complicated theme of "death" this time is because I wanted to tell myself that "death" is not something negative. If someone were to ask me about "life and death," I am sure I would not be able to immediately respond with words. However, I feel that the lives of creatures change just as the four seasons repeat themselves.
In my 25 years of life, I have seen many lives and deaths. When I was 20 years old, an acquaintance of mine had a newborn baby. For the first time in my life, when I held the tiny baby in my arms, "thank you" was the first word that came to mind. Looking back on that moment, I simultaneously recalled the time I had said "Thank you for everything" in my heart when I stood in front of the coffins of my own deceased grandparents. The same word "thank you" was uttered both in life and in death, which are completely opposite entities, and there was something that filled me with emotion that cannot be expressed in words alone.
I believe that "Death with Dignity" contains such experiences and feelings. I want to convey that we, who have received life and are bound for death, are not ugly at all, but a figure to be proud of.

Nanaco Yashiro