Play is always the central interest in Ozawa’s work. She creates pieces with geometric forms, bright in color and movement. She says about her approach: “I like wood as my choice of material, and fondly remember colorful wood blocks in my childhood. The feel and the look of distressed wooden surfaces, with worn out edges & corners implies a certain degree of use and the touch of the hand, maybe a certain degree of love. I learned furniture design and wood working at The University of the Arts in Philadelphia, and the Rhode Island School of Design. My intent with these studies was to apply that knowledge and skill to make sculptural works that were strong enough for the viewers to touch. I did this for over twenty years, making painted wood objects for viewers to look at, but also ones they could move and activate.”

Since 2012, she has been pushing her work towards a two-dimensional format, focusing on color and surface. Ozawa’s current works have qualities of both painting and sculpture. The ‘canvases’ are carefully aligned square wood bars place corner to corner and ordered in a square or rectangular plane. They are not intended to be touched, but there is a play in the work. This play is the changing view for the viewers, as they move from one side of the work to the other (right to left or left to right).

Text courtesy Micheko Galerie.