Noriko Imai is a painter who was born in Tokyo and raised in Yokohama. She is a member of La Société canadienne de l’aquarelle (THE CANADIAN WATERCOLOR SOCIETY). From a young age, Imai was inspired to paint from the influence of her father and older sisters. After graduating from high school, Imai worked for her family’s textile design business, and continued to paint. She later became a freelance designer.
In 1981, Imai moved to the Mingan Archipelago National Park Reserve in Quebec, Canada. There, she became interested in observing migratory birds, and began doing watercolour paintings of sea birds, especially puffins. Since 1985, she has had solo exhibitions at Mingan National Park Reserve, The North Coast Regional Museum at Seven Island city, and The Japanese pavilion in Montreal botanical garden. In 1995, she was awarded a grand prize from the Foundation of wildlife Quebec for her work in the exhibition ‘Art and Nature’ in Quebec City.
Living in Quebec City since 1998, Imai has continued to develop her technique in watercolour paintings life cycles, as well as works in mixed media and metal. She has participated in symposiums in Quebec, been in juried exhibitions in Quebec City, and won an award from THE CANADIAN WATERCOLOR SOCIETY. In 2007, she had a solo exhibition in Germany, and she also participated in the Watercolour Biennale in France.
Imai also teaches watercolour painting, mixed media arts, calligraphy, and sumi-e at the Mouvment animation artistique de Cap-Rouge in Quebec City.
