Mari Ichimasu (she/her) is an artist and musician from Chiba Prefecture, Japan, now living in Seattle, Washington, on the ancestral lands of the Duwamish and Coast Salish peoples.
Since moving to Seattle in 2009, she has been making art and music, finding endless inspiration and a sense of healing in the misty evergreen forests, quiet waters, and ever-changing overcast skies of the Pacific Northwest.
Her illustrated book, Fur Coats & Backpacks, brings together a decade's worth of watercolor portraits of traveling cats and little poems. First published by Chin Music Press in 2022, the book set off on a new adventure with a refreshed edition in 2026.
She also writes songs, sings, and plays guitar in her band, Blue Yarrow, where one of her greatest joys is making music alongside her husband Tony and dear friend Phil.
Somewhere in her creative world is Sanpomichi, a little stop-motion film she's been making in her bedroom, on and off, for nearly a decade. It's currently resting, but still very much alive.
When she's not painting, making music, or animating, Mari enjoys wandering through forests, visiting rivers, spending time with her cat Coconut, and making little crafts with her daughter.
In quieter moments of solitude, she explores the world of sound and silence through voice and alchemy crystal singing bowls, occasionally sharing sound journeys with others.
All of these little worlds continue to grow, wander, and find their way into one another.
千葉県市川市出身、シアトルを拠点に活動する旅人。2009年春、デュワミッシュ族、そしてコースト・サリッシュ族の人々の先住の地であるワシントン州シアトルへ移り住んで以来、霧雨に包まれる針葉樹の森とピュージェット湾に魅了され、ハートに共鳴しながら、創作活動と音楽活動を続けている。
2022年に旅する猫たちの姿を水彩絵の具で描いたシリーズの詩集『Fur Coats & Backpacks』をChin Music Pressより出版。2026年春に第２版をリリース。2024年よりパートナーのTonyと友人のPhilとともにバンド「Blue Yarrow」を結成し、EPをセルフリリース。ギター、ボーカル、ソングライティングを担当する。長旅のストップモーション・アニメーション短編映画『Sanpomichi』の制作もベッドルームで今は静かに休みながらあたたかい呼吸をつづける。
音楽や視覚アート、映像の創作活動と並行し、サウンドヒーリングや意識の世界を日々探究・実践しながら、憶い出し、変容の旅をつづけながら今ここに生きる。
Contact me: mariichimasu@gmail.com
★ Travel Cats MERCH available... Etsy shop
