Octavia Art Gallery is pleased to present a solo exhibition featuring abstract paintings by Japanese American artist Ryoko Endo. This is the first exhibition at Octavia Art Gallery for the artist.

Endo was born into a traditional family in Fukushima, Japan and attended a Catholic mission school. As a child, her mother encouraged her to wear a glove on her dominant left hand so that she would learn to use her right, as it was thought that left- handed children brought shame onto a family. Because of this experience, she can paint equally with both hands. Upon moving to New York City in 1994, one of her instructors was second-generation Abstract Expressionist painter, Kikuo Saito. Saito inspired her to create colorful abstract paintings, which continues to be her focus today. Endo’s paintings explore the union between color and movement. She pursues the possibilities of various color combinations, which convey emotion. The way she moves each element empowers her paintings, and brushstrokes vary according to speed, thickness, density, and rhythm. Her calligraphy requires complete concentration, as it is an unforgiving practice; in this respect it becomes a type of meditation.

Ryoko Endo studied graphic design and typography at Musashino Art University in Tokyo and then furthered her studies in painting at the Art Students League, NYC. She has exhibited extensively throughout New York in both solo and group exhibitions and in 2015 she received a Trudy and Henry Gillette Painting scholarship.

The Ryoko Endo: Color Odyssey exhibition will be on display January 2-30 at Octavia Art Gallery, 700 Magazine Street. An opening reception will be held January 9 from 10 a.m.-6 p.m. For more information, visit www.octaviaartgallery.com.