Artist Interview: Zara Edwards - 2024 Painted Piano Artist

From July 1st - October 1st, the Painted Piano Project will be displaying 3 pianos in downtown Lodi!

The painted piano project is a collaboration between Sayla Music Academy, the Lodi Arts Commission, and the vibrant ats community of Lodi. Pianos are donated to Sayla Music Academy and artists are picked to paint them with exciting patterns and themes of iconic local imagery. Local organizations sponsor the pianos which allows the artists to receive compensation and for them to be placed in public with the help of the Lodi Arts Commission.

This years sponsors are the Hutchins Street Square Foundation and Friends of the Library.

Once finished, pianos are then placed in public throughout the downtown area for anyone to play! This project is an exciting way to enrich downtown Lodi with a harmonious collaboration between artists and musicians!

We would like to introduce our first artist and tell you a little bit more about them! 

Zara Edwards

Tell us about yourself:

Hi! My name is Zara Edwards and I am a 21 year old college student from Lodi, California! I am currently a student at CSU Stanislaus and majoring in Studio Art. I grew up in Lodi with Mom and Dad, as well as my two younger siblings, Andrew and Emma. After graduating from high school in 2021 I attended UCSC for 2 years, but ultimately decided to finish my higher education closer to home. Upon moving back I met my current boyfriend Jackson, and we now live together and have 2 cats. My cats Banjo and Roby are my biggest muse.

How long have you been an artist? What are some other projects you have worked on?

I have been an artist my whole life. Throughout my childhood I would spend all my free time drawing and sketching. It wasn’t until last year, 2023, when I decided to move home for college, that I decided to pursue it further. When I transferred from UCSC to CSU Stan I ended up changing my major from environmental studies to studio art. While I’ve been finishing up my general education credits at Delta, I had a ceramic Koi Fish Vase I made be featured in their student showcase at the Horton Gallery. I would say the painted piano is by far my favorite piece I’ve created and I am eager for whatever future projects may be in store.

What inspired you to become an artist?

I know ever since kindergarten I’ve always preferred art as a subject. In middle school is when it really started to consume my free time. I would spend hours watching youtube drawing tutorials and making fan art of my favorite youtubers and celebrities. I think having access to a platform like youtube when I was beginning to get into art really motivated me to stay committed. It gave me a look into how so many artists not only used their art in different ways, but also the various techniques they would use to create said art. If I could credit 2 specific youtubers for inspiring me to become an artist, as well as my personal style, it would be “shmoxd” and ”kaseygolden”.

Describe the themes and style of your art. Do you gravitate towards one style or medium? What is your favorite medium to create with?

I would say my personal style is definitely reminiscent of children’s picture books. I like to keep it whimsical and saturated with color. Since I have just begun to have the pleasure of trying so many different mediums in college I’m not sure if I could pick a favorite. Before, my answer would have been markers. Now, maybe printmaking, however I fell in love with sculpture and ceramics at Delta. I think this answer will forever be ever changing depending on what new skills I’ve learned.

Who are your biggest artistic influences?

My biggest muses are definitely my cats Roby and Banjo. As for artists, Laurel Burch, Jim Davis, and Tony Segale.

Tell us about your painted piano design. What inspired it?

My piano design is for Sayla Music Academy, inspired by their iconic moon girl mural. Seeing the moon motif, and it being a music school, I immediately thought of “Hey Diddle Diddle the Cat and the fiddle the Cow jumped over the moon”. So it showcases the girl playing guitar on the moon front and center, with two cows jumping over it on either side of her. Since I wanted to maintain the illusion that they are all in the night sky, I surrounded it with stars and bats playing various instruments. The left side of the piano features Sayla Music Academy's school street building and the right side of the piano features the schools Locust street building. Underneath is a representative of the Sayla Music Academy courtyard, which is actually located in between the two buildings. The courtyard scene features a band of cats playing music under the moonlight. If you look closely on the right side of the courtyard, you can even see “the dish ran away with the spoon”. They are sitting on a bench enjoying the band. The pig and horse with wings represent the founders Carol Ann and Chase Loeb. I wanted the piano to feel dreamy, hence the night sky motif across the entire piano.

What are your aspirations as an artist? What are your dreams as an artist if anything were possible?

My aspirations are ideally to work in set design or product advertisement. I enjoy big scale projects and would especially love to design a set for a play one day.

Tell us about your other hobbies and passions! What do you enjoy besides art?

Along with art I also love playing music, such as the ukulele. One of my favorite pastimes is to drive down to the beach and look for sea glass. But most nights, me and my boyfriend like to take our cats on a walk around the neighborhood in a stroller then come home to watch RuPauls Drag Race.

How can we find more of your art? (website, social media, upcoming shows etc.) Is there anything else you want us to know?

You can find more of my art on instagram @zaras.era.art I am planning to open an online store to sell some of my prints on clothing, totes and postcards, so that will be coming soon.

You can check out Zara’s piano in the plaza outside the post office in downtown Lodi from July 1st - October 15th!