Born August 7, 1978, and raised in Saitama, Japan, artist Yoichi Nishikawa is one of the premier Studio Ghibli background artists. Nishikawa chooses to pull from his own experiences in order to capture the sense of familiarity and comfort that can be felt through each one of his pieces. Nishikawa’s most well-known subject matter is his clouds: known to his peers as the “The Painter of Clouds”, Nishikawa is widely sought after for his talent in painting skies. He has been a Studio Ghibli background artist for over nearly twenty years, and has painted backgrounds for over 30 animated films and TV shows including Love Live!!, Howl’s Moving Castle, Wolf Children, and Miyazaki’s final Oscar winning film, The Boy and the Heron.