CEDRIC UMOJA. Born and partly raised in California but having spent most of his adult life in the South, Cedric Umoja when asked, will tell you that he's from here but California has a special place in his heart. He is a non-graduate of the Arts Institute of Atlanta due to a misunderstanding as to the definition of art, between him and the Institute, which turned out to be a good thing since he's much happier practicing fine rather than commercial art. His medium of choice is paint- house, water, acrylic, and aerosol- and his canvases range from recycled material including cardboard, waste concrete backer board and the occasional door to traditional canvas and plywood. If asked to pick the four artists that influenced him the most they would be: Dondi White, Sam Kieth, Max Beckmann and Hans Hoffman. The influences of graffiti, modern European and American art, comic books, and even the R-rated movies started to come together in earnest when he studied under Tony Cacalano, a veteran fine artist whose own teachers included Jack Tworkov one of the founders of the New York School. Rigorous use of color theory and abstraction intensify the dreamy, sci- fi and even spiritually themed pieces that compose Cedric's current body of work and tension is achieved by purposeful overlay of figurative and abstract techniques within. His paintings can be found in the permanent collection of the Urban League of Columbia, the homes of local Columbians who have managed to catch him painting live at various events including the Crafty Feast local hip hop shows including Handskillz and Culture Fest, and in an upcoming and concurrently scheduled group exhibit "Post-Graffiti" at the Columbia Museum of Art, beginning March 31, 2010.

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