Mr. Kiyokawa is a recent arrival in the United States. In San Francisco, he shares a studio with Masatoyo Kishi, a relationship which it would be im­possible to deduce from the works themselves. Kiyokawa applies thin paints sparingly, with a minimum of agitation and activity on the canvas. The paintings are quiet, and landscape references abound; an atmospheric quality pervades the best works with a strong twilight mood. When the paint­ings do not succeed, it is almost al­ways because Kiyokawa settles for less than he should. In his attempt to convey emotion with a minimum of means he runs the risk of producing less than the minimum, so that there is nothing there at all, in the end.

––James Monte