Fumiko Yoshioka (b. 1979) was raised in Saitama, Japan, and currently lives and works in New York. This cross-cultural experience deeply informs Yoshioka's work, which easily transverses between the worlds of East and West, of realism and fantasy, and of seriousness and whimsy. Yoshioka received a bachelor's degree in fine arts in 2006 from the Fashion Institute of Technology. While at FIT, Yoshioka and her work were featured in Network Magazine, the college's quarterly publication. She has shown her work in the greater New York area, including most recently in the Laila Lounge in Brooklyn. She currently works as a studio illustrator in Manhattan, creating greeting cards and gift wrap for the North American and European markets, and as a freelance character designer. Among Yoshioka's clients are Bottom Line, a newly formed non-profit organization based in New York, and Ai Magane, a Japanese fashion eyewear company.