Drue Kataoka

Drue is a contemporary artist based in Silicon Valley. Born in Tokyo and trained in Sumi-e. A graduate of Stanford University. Her artworks have integrated Japanese brush painting techniques with gunshots, hospital beds, alpine snow water and storm and heartbeat recordings. Recently she sent a painting into space for the first zero-gravity art exhibit at the International Space Station. She received the Martin Luther King, Jr. Research & Education Institute Award for her extensive community service.

Drue has been named a Cultural Leader by the World Economic Forum. She has presented solo sessions at the Annual Meeting of the World Economic Forum in Davos, and the Annual Meeting of the New Champions in Dalian, China as well as given talks at TEDx Tokyo, TEDx Silicon Valley and TEDxWomen. Her work has been featured on CNN, CBS, ABC, Stanford Magazine, San Francisco Chronicle, San Jose Mercury News, Chronicle of Higher Education, and many others.

Commissions include cover art for Wynton Marsalis’ album A Fiddler’s Tale (SONY/Columbia), original estate wine labels for Au Bon Climat, over 29 commemorative prints, and numerous high-profile projects for clients like Nissan, Cisco, SUN Microsystems, Nordstrom, Fenwick & West LLP, The Koret Foundation, The Boys & Girls Clubs of America, Stanford University and the Hoover Institution.

In 2001, Drue established the endowed Rotary Foundation Drue Kataoka Arts Scholarship.

Zen of Past and Present

Drue's art is inspired by the ancient Zen principles. The idea for a site called Valley Zen emerged during conversations between Drue and Bill Fenwick. Jointly, they were inspired by the unlimited applications of Zen for entrepreneurs and technologists in Silicon Valley and beyond, shaping the high tech ventures of our time. Simplicity, asymmetry, tranquility, profundity, naturalness,immediacy. This is ValleyZen.