The following is a summary of an interview with Miyuki Tanobe conducted by Jean-Paul Ladouceur for Magazin'Art.

  Of Japanese origin, Miyuki Tanobe is one of the most Quebecois of all artists. Well educated and sophisticated, she lives with her husband and agent, Maurice Savignac, in Saint-Antoine-sur-Richelieu.

   Her canvases all express a certain joy and they make constant reference to Quebec society. Her great success comes from her powers of observation which are at the same time tender and mocking. She captures on canvas such things as Saint-Jean-Baptiste Day parades, visits to the dépanneur, "Canadians" T-shirts in August, and a hundred other little mannerisms which we are hardly aware of.

   Miyuki Tanobe works in nihonga, an archaic form of painting practised in Japan when mineral pigments are applied to a canvas or hard surface by means of hot animal-based glue. This technique comes from Buddhist philosophy and is traditionally carried out with the canvas on the floor. Miyuki Tanobe respects this tradition despite the fact that the Japanese masters often end up in wheelchairs having lost the use of their legs.

   Miyuki Tanobe studied art and the technique of nihonga for many years in Japan and Later in Paris. She paints in a style which is figurative, simple and humorous. It has often been called naive but this is inaccurate. If the humour were not present, if the perspectives were not so accomplished, we might think this was the work of a child. As it is, we remain fascinated by this world of innocence. In the end, her works are so original and unique that she could be said to have invented her own style.

   In addition to her paintings, Miyuki Tanobe has illustrated a number of books, including works by Gabrielle Roy, Gilles Vigneault, Yves Beauchemin and Roch Carrier.