Paul Komada

Paul Komada’s practice is rooted in a belief that the act of making—slowly, deliberately, and by hand—matters to the long-term happiness of both individuals and society. Born in Seattle and raised in Yokohama, Japan, his bicultural background and long-standing engagement with Buddhist philosophy shape his approach to art as a space for reflection, resilience, and connection.

Although grounded in the traditions of painting, Komada’s work expands across mediums, weaving together knitting, digital photography, motion graphics, sound, and performance. He often uses photography and motion design to discover motifs and patterns that resonate within his paintings and knit works. The soundscapes he creates with modular synthesizers similarly spark possibilities for rhythm, structure, and design. These tools enrich his hybrid practice without displacing the centrality of slow, manual creation.

At the heart of his work is an attention to how images emerge over time. The labor of hand-knitting, for instance, mirrors the endurance and patience needed to process contemporary life’s complexities. While his work does not offer direct solutions to global crises, social struggles, or the climate emergency, its colors, forms, and rhythms reflect the emotional and philosophical undercurrents of living in the present. The gradual pace of creation fosters moments of optimism, offering both artist and viewer space to pause, reflect, and imagine.

Komada’s compositions often balance abstract forms with symbolic motifs—maps, flags, and shifting color fields—evoking both shared anxieties and collective hopes. Yet despite his range of media, Komada remains captivated by the elemental power of pencil, paper, and yarn: simple materials capable of expressing complex feelings, dreams, and desires.

In addition to his studio practice, Komada teaches at North Seattle College, where he shares not only technical knowledge but also his conviction that the act of making art—whether in paint, yarn, or pixels—remains essential to the human experience. For him, the mystery of how an image comes to life is a source of endless joy, and it is this joy he seeks to pass on, one carefully made work at a time.