Chihiro Pierce was born and raised in Kobe, Japan, Chihiro started painting at an early age where she began her path of creativity and artistic expression. She entered to the Musashino Art University where she focused and refined her love of oil painting. Upon graduation, her career began at an architectural company as a professional perspective creator. She then moved onto growing English roses were she fell in love with their elegant beauty in the summer of 2000. Searching for a way to capture their essence and share their beauty, Chihiro found watercolor painting best captured the delicate transparent sunlit petals and her vision of them. With her new passion, she began the path of a more specialized profession in watercolor painting where she began merging her love of the natural world with her artistic styles and creating botanical art. Chihiro is an award-winning watercolor artist focusing on floral, still life, wildlife animals, landscape, and cityscape subjects. She has worked with watercolor for more than 25 years. Her artworks have been juried into many national and international shows across the globe, including the Transparent Watercolor Society of America, Northwest Watercolor Society and Fabriano in Acquarello in Italy. Most notably, her floral watercolor works were featured in and on the cover of the 'Pratique des Arts' of France, and received high acclaim in the 'International Artist Magazine'. She also enjoys membership in the Japan Watercolor Society since 2014. Chihiro became a Brand Ambassador for Daniel Smith, and was an instructor in Seattle from 2017 through 2019. In 2022, she instructed as a guest artist for the Daniel Smith's online session.
Chihiro enjoys expressing herself and her emotions through her paintings. She finds personal fulfillment and meaning within her art, and hopes that it touches the lives of others in the same way. Her artwork has become a source of comfort and peace for viewers around the world. She is currently enjoying and painting the beautiful wild animals and landscapes that she experiences living amongst the vast and enchanting beauty of Juneau, Alaska. In collaboration with her husband Frank Lynn Pierce, her most recent works exhibit a fusion of Chihiro’s whimsical and delicate take on Alaska’s natural world, and Frank’s grand captures of nature and wildlife. Currently, Chihiro's artworks are represented at the Annie Kaill's gallery in downtown Juneau, Alaska. Associate Member : TWSA, NWWS Signature Member of Japan Watercolor Society (JWS)
Selected Exhibitions 2023 -Japan Watercolor Society Annual Exhibition in Maruzen Marunouchi Tokyo, Japan (April)
2022 - Malaysia International Art Competition, "Top 80 Paintings Award" in ANIMAL Category, Malaysia 2022 - Malaysia International Art Competition, Landscape Category, Malaysia 2022 - First Friday's Event,Featured Artist of the September at Annie Kaill’s Gallery, Juneau, Alaska 2022 - Malaysia International Art Competition, "Top 80 Paintings Award" in Still Life & Floral Category, Malaysia 2022 - Japan Watercolor Society Annual Exhibition in Maruzen Marunouchi Tokyo, Japan (April 6th~12th)
2021 - Malaysia International Art Competition, "Top 80 Paintings Award" in Animal Category, Malaysia 2021 - Malaysia International Art Competition, Landscape Category, Malaysia 2021 - First Friday's Event / Two Person's Show, Annie Kaill’s Gallery, Juneau, Alaska (August) 2021 - Juneau Arts & Humanities Council Juried Art Show, Juneau, Alaska (June) 2021 - Malaysia International Art Competition, "Top 80 Paintings Award" in Still Life & FLORA Category, Malaysia 2021 - Japan Watercolor Society Annual Exhibition in Tokyo, Maruzen Marunouchi, Tokyo, Japan (Apr) 2021 - Indonesia International Watercolor Online Competition and Exhibition, Realistic Category, Indonesia
2020 - Malaysia International Art Competition, "Top 80 Paintings Award" in FLORA Category, Malaysia
2019 - Group Exhibition with 6 Japanese artists with Alvaro Castagnet, Yokohama, Nagoya and Osaka, Japan 2019 - Japan Watercolor Society Annual Exhibition, Maruzen Marunouchi, Tokyo 2019 - Fabriano in Acquarello, Selected for Catalog Artist
2018 - 1st Malaysia International Watercolor Biennale, Malaysia 2018 - Fabriano in Watercolor 2018, Fabriano, Italy 2018 - The 8th JWS Annual Exhibition, Tokyo, Japan 2018 - Solo Exhibition, Gallery Vita, Tokyo, Japan
2017 - Northwest Watercolor Society Annual Member Exhibition, Bothell, WA 2017 - The 7th JWS Annual Exhibition, Maruzen Marunouchi, Tokyo and Osaka, Japan
2016 - "Certificate Exclusive Artist Awards", 1st International Watercolor Biennial, Invitational, Bangkok, Thailand 2016 - JWSTravel Exhibition, Central Gazai Art Gallery, Nagoya, Japan 2016 - The 6th JWS Annual Exhibition, Maruzen Marunouchi, Tokyo, Japan
2015 - 'Finalist', International Artist Magazine's Art Prize Challenge No.89 Still Life 2015 - Pennsylvania Watercolor Society's 36th International Juried Exhibition, Carlisle, PA 2015 - Transparent Watercolor Society of America 39th Annual Juried Exhibition, Kenosha, WI 2015 - The 5th JWS Exhibition, Yokohama, Japan 2015 - World Watercolor Triennale Korea, Invitational, Seoul, South Korea
2014 - The Pennsylvania Watercolor Society's 35th International Juried Exhibition, 'Honorable Mention', PA 2014 - Watercolor West International the 46th Juried Exhibition, Brea, CA 2014 - The Art of Watercolor Exhibit at the AOK Gallery, Kenmore, WA 2014 - Selection of the Second Stage, Art of Watercolor's 1st World Watercolor Competition, France 2014 - World Watermedia Exposition of Thailand, Invitational, Bangkok, Thailand 2014 - The 4th Japan Watercolor SocietyExhibition, Yokohama and Fukuoka Art Museum, Japan 2014 - The 16th Kenmore Art Show, Bastyr University, Kenmore, WA
2013 - Eastside Association of Fine Arts 38th Open Juried Exhibition, Seattle, WA 2013 - The15th Kenmore Art Show, Bastyr University, Kenmore, WA 2013 - Richeson75 International Art Competitions, Figure and Portrait, 'Finalist', Kimberly, WI 2013 - Transparent Watercolor Society of America 37th Juried National Exhibition, Kenosha Public Museum, WI 2013 - Eastside Association of Fine Arts Member's Juried Exhibition, ’Third Place’ Seattle, WA 2013 - Istanbul Watercolor Society, Category of International Contest, ’Second Place', Istanbul, Turkey 2013 - The 37th Annual Sequim Arts Juried Art Show, Museum and Art Center, Sequim, WA
2012 - The14th Kenmore Art Show, Bastyr University, Kenmore, WA 2006 - Solo Show, Concord Free Public Library, Concord, MA 2001 - American Society of Botanical Artist(ASBA), Two artworks were selected, Horticultural Society, NY
Publications, Features / Other
2022 - Japan Watercolor Society published the 'Recipes of Transparent Watercolor No.5, Co-author published by Nichibo Publications Inc., Japan 2019 - Received “Brand Ambassador Certificate” from Daniel Smith 2018 -Japan Watercolor Societypublished the 'Recipes of Transparent Watercolor no.3’, Co-author published by Nichibo Publications Inc., Japan 2016 - Artist Feature, "Floral Watercolor Pallet Feature" by Daniel Smith 2016 -Japan Watercolor Societypublished the 'Recipes of Transparent Watercolor Ⅱ’, Co-author published by Nichibo Publications Inc., Japan 2016 - Artist Feature, Oil Portrait of "Diana" was featured by Daniel Smith, 'Oil Portrait Palette Feature' 2015 - Top10 'Finalist', International Artist Magazine's Art Prize Challenge No.89 Still Life, publised in issue 105,October/November 2015 - Japan Watercolor Society published the 'Recipes of Transparent Watercolor’, Co-author published by Nichibo Publications Inc., Japan 2015 - Cover and Featurearticlepublished by No.121 issue of 'Pratique des Arts', France 2014 - World Watercolor Competition Catalogue Published by the French Magazine ''The Art of Watercolor', France 2010 - Essay Vol.12, Annual Magazine No.90 issued by Musashino Art University, Japan 2006 - Interview, J Magazine Feb No.149, Boston, MA