Suzye Ogawa

Suzye Ogawa

Suzye Ogawa

About The Artist

Suzye Ogawa • Fort Bragg, CA

Basketry • CUSTOM COMMISSIONS

My work combines lost wax cast metals with natural basketry materials and techniques. Each piece was created in wax and cast using the “lost wax” technique into metal. Cast pieces are finished and natural materials are added. The work is small, between one and five inches. Raised in Los Angeles and was influenced by my Japanese American history and other cultures. These influences, the melding of hard and soft materials are often reflected in the images and themes of my work.

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Q&A with the Artist

Tell us how your work is made.

My work combines lost wax cast bronze with natural basketry materials. Each piece is created in wax and "lost wax cast" into bronze, Argentum, silver, or gold. The metal casting is polished and finished, stone set, and then natural basketry materials and techniques are used to complete each piece. Wax is an amazing medium and the melding of hard and soft materials is a challenge for each piece.

What makes you passionate about the medium you work with?

Basketry has been primarily a craft by women using materials gathered in nature. Both of these art forms drive my creative spirit. Natural basketry materials connect me with my environment by utilizing things that are normally discarded or not seen as useful. I grew up in a rich cultural environment and my father owned and operated a dental laboratory in which I learned to cast.

What is something unique about you or your practice?

Most of my work is small. The largest pieces are 5 inches. Working small invites the viewer to take the time to see things differently.