Artist Marlo Saucedo defines art as “simply anything I’m drawn toward and want to get closer to.” This beautiful and transparent view of art comes from her exposure to art at a young age. Marlo remarks that in her life art began during childhood as an exploration of different materials and the way they felt in her hands. Whether it was with colored pencils, markers or modeling clay, she always found herself asking, “what should I make next?”
As she grew up this question of what to compose next moved her to experience life uniquely and create constantly. Marlo says that Middle School was actually the most influential time in her life thus far. Marlo puts it this way; “The experience of being in middle school and that process we all go through there – discovering strengths and weaknesses, likes and dislikes – pushed me to understand that what I did art-wise was valued and fulfilling.” What makes this truth all the more interesting is that Marlo did not realize the impact that Middle School had on her and subsequently her art until she was a graduate student: “I forgot that, and then remembered it 20 years later when the challenge of being an MBA candidate with an artist’s desire for creativity made it clear art would and should fit into my daily life.”
Pursuing her passions took Marlo away from her hometown of Houston, to college and grad school and eventually to her career. It was in 1995 that she returned to Houston where she met her husband. The Saucedos moved to the Woodlands together in 2007, where they currently reside. Additionally, the city of Houston holds a special place in her heart as its poets and stories are the inspiration behind many of Marlo’s most recent works. Marlo’s story is unique in that she was always an artist however it took sometime before she made art her profession.
All throughout college and graduate school, Marlo studied Journalism and used words as her art form. Reflecting on this time in her life she said, “Journalism was my creative outlet in college, grad school, and in Houston. Over time to better visually convey an emotion or a story for my own, journaling, I made thoughts into shapes and lines.” The pieces that are currently on display at SEAD Gallery present this idea of words and shapes conveying emotion quite vividly. One of the things that sets Marlo’s work apart is her use of different sized words to create images. Her art not only tells a story through pictures but through the actual words that are present.
This exhibit, titled “Art + Words,” also features the work of fellow Houstonian, Leslie Gaworecki. Marlo uses collections of words in these pieces to create lines and shapes that in turn form other lines and shapes that create a larger visual experience. Her art varies and can be enjoyed from multiple angles and distances. With this in mind, it makes you wonder what sort of advice a woman with Marlo’s background would have for those who do wish to pursue art. When asked this very question Marlo replied, “I would say, you do you. Think about what moves you, what you see, what you feel, what you experience, what you really want to bring in through your soul and out through your hands.” In this bold yet straightforward answer we see the importance that Marlo places on telling stories through her art but also her life.
When an observer simply glances at a work done by Marlo Saucedo they can see the emphasis given to the written word, it is the focal point of all of her pieces. When commenting on her creative process Marlo reports that, “Usually it begins with a visual, but sometimes words and image appear simultaneously. It’s an emotional pairing, the perception of the fit between components, including colors and size.”
As you can anticipate through the passion of her own words, Marlo Saucedo’s work is filled with beauty and is captivating to anyone who views it. Just as Marlo believes art is anything you are drawn towards, you will surely be drawn to her art as well. Come visit the “Art + Words” collection at SEAD so that you can be inspired by Marlo’s work while it is still in the gallery!
“Sing the song that only you can sing, write the book that only you can write, build the product that only you can build, live the life that only you can live.”
