Masaki Nakano, honorary professor of the Tokyo University of Fine Arts and Music, described Kiyomi Okukubo as "unique, with shyness and flamboyancy existing together. Her rusticity is her quality." He guided her graduation thesis on Kiso lunch boxes. Her chosen theme becomes less surprising as Kiyomi explains that her father in his business life dealt with lunch boxes. There is no surprise in her spotlighting Kiso, as that is one of the old-world regions in Japan where the specialist art of lacquering has been practiced for hundreds of years. When she was advanced as an urushi lacquer artist, Kiyomi held some of her exhibitions in the Kiso Craft Center, Nagano.
She said that she always wanted to be an artist. At first she was interested in oil painting, and expected to be a teacher. Once the color, shine and "mysterious charm" of lacquer claimed her, she graduated from her university's theoretical art history department and went on to graduate school. With meticulous attention to detail, she mastered the idiosyncrasies of lacquer, its vulnerability to dust, its need for dampness and darkness. She learned to protect her skin as she handled lacquer, to allow her painting the time to dry slowly, to be aware of the effects of weather on the color she eventually achieved. She created her own innovations, especially in her use of cords and felts for a freer expression of material texture.
Kiyomi holds a master's degree in fine arts, and a teacher's license in fine arts for high school. She is a regular member of the Japan Arts and Crafts Association, and is qualified as a curator.