In the Studio with Helen Oji
Over the many years as an artist, I have explored various mediums, techniques, and themes in my artwork. My work is a fusion of my Japanese heritage, imagery from daily and imagined experiences, abstraction, color, calligraphy, music and dance, poetry, and the unconscious.
Asian brush-painted scrolls, popular Japanese tenugui towels, Japanese folk toys, and my everyday life have inspired my exploration and development for this series. The imagery does not have specific details of each subject depicted; instead, the painted gestures form familiar shapes and evoke a spirit that connects us to our emotions.
Through paintings on canvas, works on paper, photomontages, and sculpture my recent series of work entitled Animal Friends and Witty Abstractions, celebrates life, humor, and the human spirit. Gestural brushstrokes form the shapes and pictorial relationships, with layers of color animating the surface of the paintings. All of these components are important in creating the essence of my work.
How has self isolation affected your work?
As an artist, my time during the pandemic lockdown was a time to simplify my life. Without social distraction, I focused on working on a variety of paintings on paper and canvas. It also allowed me to explore few ideas that I always wanted to try but had always put off. I created some books and photomontages base on my travels to Vietnam and Cambodia. I also explored making soft sculptures made from felt wool and knitted merino wool.
Aquatic Fingerprint YK ©2019 72" x 24", Acrylic on Canvas
Tumble ©2019 72" x 24", Acrylic on canvas
You, You, and You ©2020, 24" x 20" Acrylic on canvas
Urban Exit, ©2021, 48" x 36" Acrylic on linen
Helen Oji (b. Sacramento, CA) After earning her MA degree in Art (Painting) from California State University, Sacramento, she made her way to New York City in 1976 where she currently lives and works. She was highlighted in the early 1980s New York City art scene as “an artist with a distinctive vision.” Throughout her prolific career, Oji’s work has evolved to include paintings, works on paper, prints, sculptures, set designs, and photographs, that blend European, American, and Asian references (primarily influenced by her Japanese heritage). She has exhibited her paintings, works on paper, and prints in numerous exhibitions in New York, nationally, and Europe.
In addition to her artwork, she collaborated with a range of performers/writers in creating set designs that were presented in New York City, London, and across the US. Her paintings and works on paper are in notable public collections including the Brooklyn Museum of Art, The Jane Voorhees Zimmerli Art Museum, Art Museum of South Texas - Corpus Christi, Jacksonville Art Museum, The Museum of Fine Arts - Houston, Philadelphia Museum of Art, Princeton University Art Museum, High Museum of Art, and in various corporate and private collections. Awards and honors include: Creative Artists Public Service Program, Ariana Foundation for the Arts, Inc., The Jane Voorhees Zimmerli Art Museum Commission, Brandywine Workshop - Visiting Artist Fellowship.
Group Chat #2 ©2021, 38" x 60" Acrylic on Linen
Red Squirrel, Black Squirrel #2 ©2020 42" x 32" Acrylic on canvas