ABOUT
Hello! My name is Yuko Torii.
Q: What kind of name is that?
It is a Japanese name, since I am originally from Akashi, Japan. My name 鳥居裕子 is phonetically spelled as Torii Yuuko. But that has too many vowels, so I made it shorter.
Q: Did you enjoy telling stories when you were a child?
Even though I was an extremely shy and introverted girl, I was a born storyteller. I loved telling my stories for hours for ‘my audience’ — mostly my stuffed animals and dolls. I even created an imaginary cat friend, who talked, walked and dressed just like a human. Along with my cat friend, I always fantasized traveling to lands, far, far away.
Q: Did you study art?
Yes — though first I studied English literature and French at college in Japan. After graduating, I worked as an English teacher. Then I moved to the U.S., where I graduated from Otis Art Institute of Parsons School of Design in Los Angeles with a Bachelor of Fine Arts. While I was there, I drew, painted, sculpted and even welded!
Q: Where do you live now?
I live in Mexico, in the small town called Ajijic. The town is located right by Lake Chapala – the largest lake in Mexico. It is very beautiful here. But I have also lived in many other beautiful places. Besides going to college in California, I worked for many years in New York City as a hand painter and a master embosser. (Yes, those were my actual titles!). Using a very old fashioned hot-stamping machine, or just paint and brush, I customized client’s products, such as handbags and trunks.
Q: Why do you draw cats?
While living in Los Angeles, I adopted two cats from local shelters: Mitternacht (which I nicknamed “Mitter”) and Mondschein (whom I called “Mon”). Each week, I would send a postcard to my mother in Japan starring Mitter as my husband, and Mon as myself, to explain what had happened during the week. Thus came my anthropomorphic cat characters. But the biggest and funniest irony is that my debut picture book, My Someone, is about a little dog!
Q: Where did the name “Midnight Atelier” come from?
My kitty’s name, Mitternacht, which means “midnight” in German. Atelier means “an artist’s workshop or studio” in French.
Q: Do you speak any other languages?
I am fluent in Japanese and English. My French is very rusty now. Since moving to Mexico, I have been studying Spanish. People often ask me “What language do you think in?” My answer is “none of them”. I get concepts, often visually first, then use whatever the best words to describe them follow. There are many words that are not translatable into other languages. Just like my art, I will be a lifetime student of language, for sure.
Q: What can you tell us about your family?
My husband, Doug, is a baritone singer. Our kitty, Parsifal (“Parito” in Spanish), is a very fluffy calico cat – with a very loud baritone purr.
Q: Where do you find your inspiration?
I have a great number of influences, but here are just a few artists whom I adore: Satoshi Kako 加古里子, Osamu Tezuka 手塚治虫, Charles M. Schulz, Ludwig Bemelmans, Bernard Waber, Sir Quentin Blake, Charles Addams, Jon Agee. And I love looking around and finding new things everywhere! I always feel like a little kid at heart.
Contact me : info@midnightatelier.com
Please check my daily drawings at Instagram : @midnight_atelier
I am represented by Rachel Orr at The Prospect Agency