In Ikeda’s paintings – watercolor paintings referred to as ‘mixed media paintings’ since pen and ink are often added – there is a playfulness to the artist’s sensitive lines and seed-like forms, even as the images appear almost primordial in impression.

Born on the subtropical island of Yoron, near Okinawa, Japan, Ikeda spent his childhood exploring the island and the coral reefs surrounding it; after high school he left his small island world to explore Japan and India. Ikeda had no exposure to the world of fine arts but was interested nonetheless, teaching himself Oriental brush painting by copying pictures out of books and later becoming interested in Contemporary Art. In 1978 he moved to the United States. The artist credits a college professor in Stockton, California for setting him on the right artistic path. “He was a wonderful art professor; he spent all his energy on his teaching." This same professor guided Ikeda to the University of Colorado at Boulder where he received both a BFA and MFA. Today, the artist teaches both drawing and painting while continuing to show his work in group and solo shows and expand his base of collectors.