arty momo's lazy blog ► lazy momo's arty blog: August 2009

Sunday, August 30, 2009

New to Oakland

The Bay Area - Mainly in Oakland So I am now located in Oakland, CA, still browsing around the area. I am often asked how I like Oakland so far, but I find it impossible to respond to it. As one Oakland local puts it, "Everyday, you find something you didn't know about." That's Oakland. One thing, though, is that I have never met this many artists in one community. I don't know how many art supply stores reside in this area as I find a lot more stores than I possibly need, and all raw materials and skilled handymen/artisans are here in the area. In every way I find Oakland a place of progressive thinking and progressive people. And of course it has a side effect of being so. The city is known for its high crime rate and corruption. But it is never boring here. Oakland is just one bridge away from San Francisco, and other exciting cities like Emeryville and Berkeley are a few minutes away from me. Working as an artist in Oakland is a total convenience. Coming from Miami, where things are far behind in terms of green technology, I do have some adjustments to make. For instance, I see SFC certified products being sold and used by people here. But since I was in Miami too long, I had never seen it until I moved up here. Those SFC endorsed product are two to three times more expensive than conventional products. In other words, having an awareness about nature and environment is not enough to actually practice "green." It costs more to be green. So I have a mixed feeling about this issue. To me, using less material is a doable "green" thing to do, for the time being. However, I can sense that time will come when I need to use those "high-end" materials because I am beginning to feel that the more high-end it goes, the greener it gets mainly because in green business, as much as other businesses, money talks louder. Oh, I forgot to mention that I am talking about lumber products here. And being in Oakland, I learned "Home Depot" is a taboo word in green businesses.

Monday, August 24, 2009

Palo Alto - Pleasant People!

The crowd of Palo Alto Festival of Arts 2009 was the most pleasant of all the outside art fairs I have attended as a vendor. Each community has its own character, and some are more pleasant than the others. Spending Saturday and Sunday on the street, I find Palo Alto's people educated, well mannered, and calm. On a contrary, I had been to the places, especially in South Florida, where the majority of people were already pissed (very angry) for no reason. It is no fun at all to be surrounded by angry rude people and try to sell stuff to them. In average art fairs go on for two days and it is not fun to be stuck in my booth in that unpleasant environment for two days. This time, although the sale was not that great, I didn't have the draining feeling at the end of the fair as I packed up my booth. Yes, being an outside vendor is physically tiring, being have to get up at 4 AM and coming home late at night, but to me, the hardest part is the dealing with the rude and narrow minded people, but there was just no such thing in the entire interaction with the people in Palo Alto. My "overly unique" work was well received with tons of complements and about a dozen sales. Needless to say, I will be definitely going back there.

Monday, August 17, 2009

Review by collageart.org

This is cited from the actual page. Texts by Gennielynn Martin.

http://www.collageart.org/reviews/sudo.htm

Momoko Sudo at the Center on Contemporary Art July 9th - August 8th, 2009

Momoko Sudo’s exhibition at CoCA saturates the gallery with an ambiance of quietude and poise while simultaneously stimulating one’s imagination. The 26 works showcasing Sudo’s talent as painter and collagist highlight the compassionate and courageous manner in which she expresses herself.

Sudo’s collages, measuring between 9”x 9” and 18”x18”, embrace serenity, tranquility and play. Surrounded by Sudo’s line-scape works, the collages enjoy the rich colors and the variety of shapes of their components. Neither cluttered nor busy, their spirit and temperament evidence unity, certainty, and wisdom.

After the delicate colorful papers are shaped, areas painted, and found objects applied, the collages are coated with layers of resin varnish. In some works this final step calls attention to the elements while in others like Palace Night, the materials are intentionally veiled beneath a lingering fog, whispering to the viewer and artist that they have been transformed into a state of well being, never to be disturbed again.

Sudo’s larger line-scape paintings are all-embracing. When following the numerous thin lines strategically flowing and waving serenely across a canvas of once uncharted territory, one may find themselves being drawn into those invisible, immobile spaces on the canvas which the artist did not disrupt, choosing instead to leave them to be steeped in nature's own light. This is where the artist's gift for perfection becomes evident. It's here where she has fused the art of motion and stillness into one entity.

The Center On Contemporary Art, with its composed, picturesque setting looking across the blue waters of the Puget Sound, provides an appropriate setting with Ms. Sudo's quiet and thoughtful works.

COCA curator and former president Joseph Roberts with some of Momoko Sudo's collages. Photo: G. Martin