MEDITERRANEAN CONFERENCE CENTER
July 3–5, 2026 

---

Makoto Tatsuda

たつだ まこと

Makoto Tatsuda is a Japanese pastel artist and a member of the Japan-Europe Palace Art Association.
His works have been exhibited not only in Japan, but also in countries around the world. Through soft colors and a delicate sensibility, he creates dreamlike worlds that gently embrace the viewer’s heart.

たつだまことは日本のパステル画家。日欧宮殿芸術協会の会員。 日本のみならず世界各国に作品を出展。
やわらかな色彩と繊細な感性によって、観る者の心を穏やかに包み込む幻想的な世界を表現している。

---

 Red Thread 

 赤い糸 

Artist’s Statement

This work was inspired by the theme of the “red thread,” an invisible bond that gently connects countries across great distances and brings people’s hearts together.
Even when we live far apart, the sky above us and the oceans between us remain connected. I believe that our hearts, too, can become one.
As I spread pastel pigments with my fingertips, I entrusted this belief in the power of connection to the soft gradations of light within the work.

In the painting, small living beings carefully carry and weave the red thread, linking one another until they gather within a large heart at the center.
It is a vision of harmony, where everyone supports one another and lives together in peace.
No matter where we are in the world, I hope that people can join hands and share lives free from conflict. This work is imbued with that heartfelt wish.
I sincerely hope that the warmth flowing from this painting will travel along the red thread, cross oceans, and reach someone precious in a distant place, allowing circles of happiness to continue spreading without end.

 

Message from the Artist

Thank you for taking the time to look at my work.
If you are feeling lonely or uncertain, even for a moment, I hope you will remember that we are all connected by invisible threads of warmth and kindness.
Through this painting, I would be happy if you could experience a gentle sense of comfort and reassurance—a quiet reminder that you are never truly alone.

 

 Yumeiro no Hoshi (“Dream-Colored Planet”)  

 ゆめいろの星 

Artist’s Statement

Yumeiro no Hoshi (“Dream-Colored Planet”) is a world born from a simple wish: What if a place like this could truly exist?
Using my beloved pastels, I tried to shape a gentle little universe where humans, animals, and every living being smile together, care for one another, and live peacefully side by side.

The large circle at the center represents a “ring of happiness” — a symbol of how all lives are connected. As I softly blended the pastels with my fingertips, I poured my hope into every color, wishing that this kindness might quietly reach the hearts of those who see it.

The rocket drifting through the sky, the moon watching over the night, and the playful notes floating through the air…
I would be truly happy if the melody inside this painting could travel across the sea and gently reach the hearts of the people of Malta as well.

May the kindness within this little star continue to spread outward — to the children who will shape the future, and to people all around the world — growing ever wider as a circle of happiness.

「こんな世界があったらいいな」という私の世界を、大好きなパステルで形にしたのがこの『ゆめいろの星』です。
描きたかったのは、人間も動物さんも、すべての生き物さんたちがニコニコと笑い合い、お互いを大切に想いやりながら穏やかに暮らす場所。真ん中の大きな円は、みんなが繋がっている「幸せの輪」をイメージしています。
パステルを指でくるくると広げながら、この優しい色が皆さんの心に届くようにと願いを込めました。空を飛ぶロケットや、夜空で見守るお月様、そして楽しそうに響く音符たち・・・・・・。絵の中のメロディーが、海を越えてマルタの皆様の心にも、ふんわりと届いてくれたらとても嬉しいです。
この星のような優しさが、未来を生きる子供たちへ、そして世界中～、幸せの輪として広がっていきますように。

Message from the Artist

Thank you so much for finding my artwork.
While looking at this painting, I hope you can let your shoulders relax, take a deep breath, and drift for a moment into a soft and “dream-colored” feeling.
May countless smiles find their way to you.

私の作品を見つけてくださり、本当にありがとうございます。
この絵を眺めている間だけは、肩の力を抜いて、ゆったりとした「ゆめいろ」な気持ちになっていただけたら幸せです。
あなたのもとへ、たくさんの笑顔が届きますように。

---

Japan-Europe Palace Art Association Commentary

Makoto Tatsuda’s paintings express a warm vision of connection through the gentle texture and luminous softness of pastel. Running throughout his work is a quiet wish for compassion and mutual understanding rather than conflict or division, allowing each composition to emerge as a serene space of reflection and prayer.

In Red Thread, invisible bonds that transcend distance and national borders are symbolically woven together, as small living beings carry a narrative of harmony and coexistence. In Yumeiro no Hoshi (Dream-Colored Planet), a peaceful world unfolds where humans and animals share a life of gentle balance, embracing the viewer with a sense of warmth despite its dreamlike nature.

What unites Tatsuda’s work is a gaze that seeks to reconnect the world through kindness. His softly blended colors and familiar motifs quietly illuminate the compassion and hope that dwell within everyday life, leaving a lingering sense of tranquility in the hearts of those who encounter his art.

たつだまことの絵画は、パステルという素材が持つ柔らかな質感を通して、人と人、生命と生命を結ぶ温かな世界観を描き出している。
その表現には競争や対立ではなく、互いを思いやる心への静かな願いが一貫して流れ、画面全体が穏やかな祈りの場として立ち現れている。
《赤い糸》では、国や距離を越えて結ばれる目に見えない絆が象徴的に表され、小さな生命たちが紡ぐ物語の中に共生への思いが託されている。
一方、《ゆめいろの星》では、人や動物たちが調和の中で生きる理想の風景が広がり、夢想でありながら確かな温もりを伴って鑑賞者を包み込む。
たつだまことの作品に通底するのは、世界を優しさによって結び直そうとする視線である。
淡く溶け合う色彩と親しみ深いモチーフは、日常の奥にある思いやりや希望をそっと映し出し、見る者の心に静かな余韻を残しているのである。