Tatsuo Ito was born in Manchuria. He moved with his family to Japan when he was a child. As a teenager, in addition to his regular studies, he was privileged to be privately tutored in the 400 year old school of classical Japanese painting known as Rin-Pa. Spending several vigorous years under this tutorship, Tatsuo began to translate this ancient art form into his own unique, contempory style of art...bold, vivid florals and forest scenes literally alive with the colors of nature. A thoughtful and introspective man, Tatsuo says: "Art should be a combination of skilled technique and the artist's personal philosophy. To me, art is life." Tatsuo Ito has exhibited at Grand Central Galleries in New York and at the Mauna Kea Beach Hotel in Hawaii.