The Painted Piano Project
Written by Austin Kim
03/23/22
On April 2nd, 2022, Sayla Music Academy will premiere a special project at the monthly Lodi Art Hop: the Painted Piano! The artist who painted the piano, Omid Izadi, is a piano student at Sayla Music Academy.
About The Artist
Omid Izadi, at just fourteen years old, is a multi-talented individual. He began playing the violin at age six, and went on to perform in several orchestras, including the Sayla Community Orchestra. In 2018, he began learning the piano. To this day, he is a proficient piano student at Sayla Music Academy.
Omid began painting at age five. His work has been featured at the Cal Expo Art Show, the Lodi Community Art Center, the Sacramento Fine Art Center, the Lodi Grape Festival, the Lodi Sandhill Crane Art Show, the McKee Art Show at Haggin Museum, the Stockton Art League, and at the Triton Museum of Art.
About The Painted Piano - Artist’s Description
The Painted Piano is Omid’s first piece of art on a large object. With it, he intends to represent both the city of Lodi, as well as his personal interests as an artist.
The bottom front of the piano, where one’s feet would play the pedals, depicts two sandhill cranes singing. The sandhill crane has been a celebrated species of the Central Valley for twenty four years, and Omid’s depiction of these beautiful birds pays homage to the annual Lodi Sandhill Crane Festival. Right above the keyboard are the portraits of four monumental classical composers: Bach, Mozart, Beethoven, and Chopin.
Placed conveniently for a quick sight read, the sheet music for Beethoven’s famous “Ode To Joy” lives on the top cover of the piano. The left side of the piano boasts an intricate Persian rug - representative of Omid’s heritage. The right side of the piano shows an elegant bottle of red wine with a poured glass beside it. Above this, a beautiful landscape of a vineyard. Finally, the back of the piano depicts the grandiose Mission Arch of Downtown Lodi. It is painted so that it seems to be firmly embracing and supporting the entirety of the instrument.
Omid chose the color schemes of the piano with great intention. The dark red, dark navy, and gold represent the royalty associated with classical music. Lodi’s wine scene is represented by the red and brass colors, while the gold represents California - “The Golden State.”
Finally, some of the paintings on the piano have a “built-in” perspective: when you view them from a particular angle, they appear to be three dimensional.
Be sure to catch the premiere of this magnificent piece of art by Sayla’s very own, Omid Izadi!
“I hope people enjoy my art and enjoy playing on this painted piano and take care of it for a long time. I am sure every time I pass Lodi streets and see someone play on it, I am going to enjoy it very much.” - Omid Izadi