Artist-In-Residence: Shogo Ota
I saw a meme years ago that said, "Radiohead makes music for people who are afraid to ask for ketchup at Mcdonald's," and I was like . . . yeah, that checks out.
So when I asked our October artist in residence, Shogo Ota, what his dream album cover would be, and he replied with 'Radiohead," I knew I was in for a treat. The YORK Peppermint Patties of treats. I mean, they have an emotional complexity beyond my depth, and that's coming from a Pisces. So let's dive in.
Shogo is originally from Japan. "The oldest memory I have I'm drawing a red bicycle. I'm like 4 or 5 and in kindergarten ...but I didn't like what I drew, so I kept asking my teacher for a new paper."
Years later, after harvesting every tree in Japan in pursuit of drawing the perfect red bicycle*, 18-year-old Shogo arrived in Moscow, Idaho, to learn English. Shortly after, he moved to Seattle to go to college, and that's when he realized that he'd like to pursue art as a career, "One of my friends told me I looked like an artist . . . so I decided to become an artist".
But the road to becoming a career artist was easier said than done. "I remember one of my teachers saying most of us wouldn't get a job with an art degree, which was probably true. But that didn't stop me from trying my best," he says. "One of the first official sales I remember was from this small art competition at the University of Idaho. All of us design students created poster art for the Lionel Hampton International Jazz Festival, and my piece was selected for T-shirts. I got $50!"
He eventually got a non-paid internship at a startup tea company in Seattle. And luckily, that led to another internship at Modern Dog Design Co. “We had many different kinds of clients and projects. It was very inspiring and fun to come up with new styles and ideas every time and I think this experience created who I am now.”
He worked there for almost 7 years before starting his own studio. That wealth of experience is likely why he was dubbed “a stylistic chameleon" by the Stranger—he’s good at thinking outside the box. “One of my clients asked me to use the denim fabric to create art, but they wanted to keep the nice denim texture somehow, so I researched and tested how I could use bleach on it. I made a huge sticker/stencil with bleach on a spray bottle and successfully dyed the denim fabric.”
And then there was the time he flew to NYC for a mural project. “The wall wasn’t ready for me when I arrived, so they installed the wall from the left side, and I was drawing from the same side like a chasing game. Then the building owner next to the job site complained my spray paint smelled too much (she was living on the 4th floor or higher with windows open in February), so we had to put up tarps everywhere.” You know, when you put up with that nonsense, it must be a labor of love.
But Shogo has many loves. The one you might be most familiar with is his music posters and album covers. “I’ve been creating music posters for a long time, so it was natural that the poster art became album covers and more bands started asking me to design. I love a lot of local bands. Thunderpussy, Deep Sea Diver, The Grizzled Mighty, Chong the Nomad, Brent Amaker, Smokey Brights, Breaks and Swells . . . the list goes on! My favorite album art is The Grizzled Mighty “Confetti Teeth” and Breaks and Swells “Murder Hornet.”
But whether it's in art or music, he knows the importance of having a community “I really appreciate the community here in Seattle. Recently my art was copied by MOD Pizza, and I posted about it online. In response, fellow artists, friends and even strangers contacted me personally to help me get the word out and to help me make things right. We don’t always hang out in person, but I felt the strength of those invisible but invaluable connections.”
It’s this same community that motivates him to create. “Everything from seeing other artists work, people giving me positive feedback about my work, my kids saying they want to be an artist like dada, . . . it all motivates me.”
On a typical day off, you can find Shogo at a local mountain bike trail, snowboarding, around a campfire, or catching a local music act. “My wife and I are big music lovers, so we’re often at the local venues.”
But what about in Ballard specifically? Where can you find Shogo on a day off?
SHOGO’S GUIDE TO BALLARD
Favorite restaurants/bars in the Ballard neighborhood?
You can find my logos at Porkchop and Co. and Maclend’s Fish & Chips. They are so good!
Also, I’ve been working with Jason at STONEBURNER” for a long time. Another great restaurant in Ballard.
I also love
Mr. Gyro,
Ann’s Teriyaki
Sawer
The Walrus and The Carpenter
Staple & Fancy
and so much more!
Describe your perfect day in Ballard.
First, you get brunch at Hatti’s Hat.
After, you go shopping at Filson.
Then grab afternoon beers at O.P.
You have to get Ice cream with the kids at Frankie & Joe.
And finish the day with a campfire at Golden Gardens or maybe a local show at The Tractor Tavern if you have enough energy. Can you tell we used to live in Ballard?
What sets the Ballard neighborhood apart from other areas of Seattle?
The new Target! Just joking, there are so many restaurants, bars, and shops in one small area that are special to me. The old Ballard Ave has everything, and you can spend all day there. The Sunday Farmers Market is great too. You can also go to the beach pretty easily.
Here at Assembly, we're inspired by the incredible experiences provided by living in this city—music, art, food, etc. So when we're able to bring two of those things together, music and art, under one roof, it's like the perfect storm of an opening. We're excited to have Shogo in person for an opening on Oct 1st. But you can catch his art on the walls of Assembly all month long.
We look forward to seeing you here!
Follow Shogo Ota @shogodzilla
(*ONLY JOKING)