008: Omasu Soto
Omasu Soto is a Guamanian artist who works as an art teacher at Art Beat Guam for both adults and children.
Omasu Soto
He began painting because of his love for the process of creating an illusion of a new reality using just light, shadows, and colors. The painting starts not on the canvas, but in his mind as he thinks of an idea and creates some sketches. After finding some reference photos and deciding on the final composition, Soto starts to actually paint. He draws inspiration from our small island and uses Guam-related subjects to form landscapes with both beautiful compositions and colors. He ensures that both quality and aesthetic are consistent, but he also tries to make his audience explore the meaning behind his paintings, usually with “a subject/s that ask/s the questions “why’.” When stuck on a piece, Omasu Soto either goes to sleep and awaits either inspiration or a new viewpoint in his dreams, or he looks at other artists and their processes. He finds time management and dealing with his art mood swings difficult to deal with.
Omasu Soto
Mr. Soto finds that neither his Japanese nor Filipino background have really affected his work but rather his location. He wants his work to speak and relate to all the inhabitants and show what he could offer the community. His experiences in higher education, especially with his professors, made him a better artist, improving his talent and solidifying his art philosophy. Omasu idolizes Caravaggio and Rembrandt from the Baroque Period for their uses of dramatic lights and darks and he follows various modern artists and art influencers as they serve as great teachers and sources of inspiration. Over the years, as he has grown and learned from experiences, his art evolved from simple copies to his own reality and interpretations of an idea with improved art skills and insights.
Omasu Soto defines arty as a “result of an artist’s creativity, inspiration, talent, and vision. Then, what is an artist? Beings drawn by this innate desire to create pieces that inspire others and teach them that they cannot live without art while accentuating the beauty or meaning of objects. As a suggestion to all young artists, Mr Soto says to “[learn from others] and [learn the rules before you break them].
To see Omasu’s full interview, continue reading below. If you’re interested in learning art from Omasu, check out Art Beat Guam’s website .
Omasu Soto
Describe what you do?
I'm an art instructor for kids and adults, under the art company, Art Beat Guam.
How would you define art?
Art comes in different forms and genres: from 2D, to 3D, to performance art. I define art as a result of an artist's creativity, inspiration, talent, and vision.
Why did you choose your art form?
I chose painting in 2D art, simply because I love having to create forms out of light, shadows, and color, and have those objects come together to present a new existing world or reality out of a non-living, flat surface, which is pretty mind-blowing if you think about it.
How has your ethnicity/race affected the type of art you make?
My ethnicity or race (Japanese/Filipino) does not affect my art. Most of my artworks are based on the location I'm in, therefore more Guam-related. I want my artworks to relate and speak to the people in my surroundings, and show them what I, as a local artist, can offer the community.
How did your high school/college years affect the work you make today?
Education is very important to further improve one's talent and philosophy in the arts. Learning from great professors definitely made me a better artist.
Who do you idolize?
I admire the works of Caravaggio and Rembrandt during the Baroque period; the use of dramatic lights and darks. I also love modern artists like Andrew Tischler, AngryMikko, Ten Hundred, and James Gurney. They are great teachers and inspiration.
Where do you get your inspiration?
Guam is a very small island but full of things you can pull inspiration from. Having your work based on an islands' culture also makes you way more unique compared to other artists worldwide.
What do you do when you're stuck on an artwork or lacking motivation or inspiration?
I leave it alone. Sleep and let the inspiration or solution come in a dream, then come back with fresh eyes, strategy, and a very well-motivated attitude. Watching other artists and their process also helps.
What do you like incorporating most into your art?
I always make sure that my aesthetic and quality of work are consistent, or better. Having my painting stop people and explore what the artwork wants to say, rather than just saying it's pretty, is also one of my goals, and often solved by including a subject/s that ask/s the question "why".
What is something that you add to your art as like your signature?
A combination of landscapes and Guam-related subjects, done with beautiful colors and composition. I'm not a "gimmicky" artist so I have to "up" the game in terms of quality.
Take us through your process for making art.
Starts with an idea, a couple of thumbnail drawings (I've been using digital art as a sketch recently), finding the right references (mostly photos), finalizing the right composition, then translating everything onto the canvas.
What do you struggle with the most when making art?
I am now confident with my skills because of experience, but I always struggle with time. "When will I start this project? Do I have the time for it? When will I be motivated to start or finish this?" So basically I struggle with time management and artist mood swings :)
What role do artists have in society?
The most basic one is to inspire, either it's creativity or a thought perceived from the artwork presented. To enhance things either in beauty or meaning is one thing. Also, to convince everyone that we, humans, cannot live without art.
What characteristics do you think all artists share?
This "want" to just keep creating.
What’s your favorite place in Guam?
Lazy answer but my home. It's where my art starts and finishes. I love Guam as a whole but everything will still come back to my small home studio. I do love Guam sunsets though, which can be seen mostly everywhere in Guam.
How has your artwork evolved over time?
From pretty copies from photos to making my own reality, with improved art knowledge and skills, color theory, composition, and a very interesting interpretation of an idea or message.
Why did you choose to become an artist?
It's been a calling. I have even been a biology major for 2 years and still returned to the arts. It's something I'm good at and something I wouldn't mind doing for the rest of my life.
Do you have any tips for aspiring artists?
Learn from others. Besides from college, there's Youtube now , and it's free. Don't make excuses that you are not trained or that you already have a style of your own. Also learn the rules, before breaking them. Let that ego or cowardice go. If you know that you want making art to be a part of your life, find the time to let it happen.
Is your art geared towards a specific audience?
Towards people living in Guam, not just the locals.
