E. E. Kono's practice explores History; both real and imagined.

Kono’s upbringing was split between a diverse international community and middle America. This nurtured her life-long interest in how stories and symbols create meanings that are interwoven between cultures. Initially, this inspired a career in children’s literature, where she wrote and illustrated picture books. Now, her practice favors a slow meditative process, using materials and imagery selected for their layered significance, to explore the profound connection between people and place.

Kono works primarily in egg tempera and silverpoint. Her latest paintings explore manifest destiny. As a descendant of frontier settlers, she’s especially interested in how, within the lifespan of one generation, westward expansion violently transformed North America’s natural state: its flora, fauna, and peoples. And how that often minimized past reverberates in today’s America.

A self-taught painter, Kono studied art history at the University of Iowa (Iowa City, IA) and the University of Hull (Kingston Upon Hull, England). She has also studied traditional egg tempera techniques under the guidance of artist Koo Schadler. Kono’s work has been exhibited internationally and in notable venues, including La Luz de Jesus (Los Angeles, CA), Modern Eden (San Francisco, CA), Riverside Art Museum (Riverside, California), and Beinart Gallery, (Melbourne Australia). Her paintings have been seen in American Art Collector, Arts to Hearts Magazine, and Juxtapoz magazine. Additionally, she is an award-winning author and illustrator with over a dozen books published by major trade houses. Her book illustrations are in the collection of the Mazza Museum (Findley, OH). Kono just had a solo museum exhibition entitled “DRIFT” at the Dubuque Art Museum (Dubuque, Iowa).

 Selected Artworks