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Tanaka uses oil paints designed for use on outside walls. She blends the three primary colors of yellow, red, and blue into various combinations, adding white to adjust the shades.
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Tanaka works with her husband and business partner. They start by scraping off the places where the old paint has started to peel, then painting work, begins on the sky. Tanaka’s husband, handyman Komamura Yoshikazu, is the one up the ladder in this picture.
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Tanaka uses a roller to apply fresh paint over the old image.
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She uses a paintbrush on detailed parts like leaves and bushes.
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With every stroke of the brush, the pine trees come more vividly to life.
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Once she’s finished work on the portion of the mural in the women’s bath, Tanaka moves over to the men’s side.
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The work continues until around nine at night, with an hour’s break for lunch.
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The finished painting: a soothing image of Fujisan that helps bathers to relax.
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Tanaka also accepts commissions for bathroom paintings in private homes. A few years ago she was approached by a British couple and traveled to London to complete an assignment. The painting depicted Enoshima, a local landmark in Fujisawa, Kanagawa Prefecture, where the couple lived during their time in Japan.
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The “Godzilla Bath” painting at Hinodeyu in Nishi-Kamata. This mural by Tanaka adorned the walls of the bathhouse from July to early November 2016. (© Toho Co., Ltd.)
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