We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Mai Yap. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Mai below.

Hi Mai, thanks for joining us today. What’s been the most meaningful project you’ve worked on?

There are 3 topics that constantly occupy my mind:

1. Conveying an urgency to the preservation of our planet.

2. Exploration of my Chinese, Panamanian and American identity

3. Reproductive Justice, specifically menopause

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

I studied Advertising and Graphic design at the University to Georgia, not art like I wanted, because if you lived in good Chinese family, you didn’t rebel against your parent’s wishes! I also studied fashion design because I thought I could be the next Vera Wang! I owned a bakery at the Miami International mall, even though I hate cooking. Hurricane Andrew was a double blessing, allowed me to close the bakery with dignity and our daughter was born 2 weeks after. Since I was going to stay home taking care of her, I said, “wait a minute, I have this gift why don’t try to use it and see where it takes me”.

I signed up for a class at Miami Dade College and learned which paints and brushes I had to buy. I realized that the only way to learn fast was to do the work. So, I started to teach myself how to paint while our daughter napped and slept. I chose flowers because I was attracted to their organic shapes and vivid colors which reminded me of my hometown. In 2002, I mustered the courage to exhibit them. My first group show took place on the outside corridor of a medical office in Kendall! Back then, I used to carry a small hand album to show potential customers my flower paintings. In this manner, hard to believe, I sold dozens of artworks. Not long after, I was offered to teach art at prestigious Fairchild Gardens where I am proud to say, I taught art to hundreds of art lovers for 14 years.

I wanted to be an artist since I was 5. My grandparents and my 4 siblings were moved to Panama’s capital, some 3 hours away from the tiny town of Aguadulce where we all lived. My parents decided they needed a better education. Remember how the old cars had a large space under the back window. One could say that my love for nature started in the back of my father’s car on our way to visit the family every weekend. Laying down in there, looking up at the sky on these long trips, I discovered the clouds, trees, and the blowing wind. Trying to convey this feeling of wonder has defined my art from the beginning.

Being born in Panama to Chinese parents, allow me to blend East and West on canvas.
In all my work, could it be paintings or installations, you will find the same detail work, the beauty and balance of millennial traditions combined with the amazing colors, sounds and energy of the tropics.

If I was painting flowers and landscapes successfully, you are probably wondering why did I chose to go full abstract? When our only daughter, Alessandra, became a teenager, she also became very interested in biology and all planet-related issues. Every day she would come home and say something like: “do you know that in 50 years there won’t be any coral reefs left?”. Did you know that the planet loses over 15 billion trees every year? All those concerns started accumulating until one day I said: “if I love nature this much why don’t I know about any of these”. So, I started researching what I found was truly alarming. That is when I decided to do something about it, the only way I knew, which is to paint. I explored many ideas until I came to the realization that for me, the only way to express complex feelings and deep concerns in a genuine and truthful manner was through abstraction.

That proved to be more difficult than I expected. A lot of people think that anybody can paint abstracts, that it is easy. Nothing could be further from the truth. In my experience one has to be very knowledgeable in art making. Colors and techniques must be literally be running through veins, because an abstract painting does not depict a specific object, but an emotion caused by complex thinking. So, the question is how one translates happiness, fear, sadness into colors, shapes and textures. If one has to think, what color should I put here, what shape will go best? One would never be able to bring out, much less understand what you are feeling in your mind and in your body. For this process to be successful one needs solitude and deep awareness.

With no preconceived designs I start. There is a point, after I have laid down all the main colors, that I freeze. Then I breathe, I have been a meditator for 15 years, and patiently wait for a message on how to continue. The whole process is scary and exhilarating at the same time. Especially if you are painting with only palette knives!

So, now you might ask yourself: Why paint with palette knives and not brush. About 12 years ago, one of my students gave me some art supplies that were given to her by her mother. When I opened the box there were brushes, some old paints and these little instruments that looked like bakery knives. I did some research and realized that there were instruments to paint!! That year during Art Basel week, I intentionally looked in every art venue for paintings done with palette knives and saw none. That is when I decided, as a dare to myself, to go complete palette knife. I tried to sign up for a class, but there were none. I looked for books and I found one published in 1971! So, I dove into it. Creating over 60 South Florida landscapes in the first year!

In 2014, I showed them at Milagros Bello’s gallery. She exhibited 35 of my landscapes all together in the largest wall she had, even though hers was a very contemporary space. In our talks I told her about my preoccupation with environmental awareness. How to transmit this message effectively while being authentic to myself? She was the one that told me to find an answer in art history books. So, I did. I read and read and read more. After about 6 months, I narrowed it down to two artists that I admired: Frank Hoffman and Jean Paul Riopelle. So, I study them too!

Meanwhile over the course of 10 years, I have continued to experiment painting with palette knives. Is a technique that is difficult to mastered and keeps you coming back for more.

I believe that what sets me apart is my background. Chinese, Panamanian and American. It has all created a unique pathway on how my mind works and how I see the world. My Chinese part has given me discipline and my love for detail. Panama offered colors and optimism and America opened a world of possibilities of putting all together.

My most proud accomplishment is the formation of “Palette Knife Artists of Miami”. Is the first group in South Florida created to promote palette knife painting technique. Since 2013, our mission has been to bring awareness to a planet in need through art. We organize exhibits throughout South Florida to show our paintings and bring experts in their field to inform the public of what is happening, the reasons why we are in these precarious situations and to give us practical advice on how we can help. Our work serves to advance ongoing conservation efforts to save South Florida endangered species like mangrove trees, coral reefs, migratory birds and turtles for future generations.

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

As artists, I believe we are in the unique position to influence our society. With so much at stake right now, we must take a stance for the betterment of our society.

Asian American Discrimination
Deeply struck by the hate crime targeting Asian Americans, especially the 2021 Atlanta spa shooting, MaiYap I started to reconsider my identity, my roots, and what it meant to be an Asian woman in the U.S. This inspired me to create a whole new body of work. “Reflection on Awakening” is a series of large format paintings that emphasizes the ongoing healing process and the continuous journey of finding one’s inner peace. The paintings do not wish to bring out the dark side but hope to approach the serious topic of Asian Hate from an aesthetic and meditative attitude.

These works will be included in a comprehensive survey of Asian artists from Latin America programmed for January 2025 at The Frank C. Ortis Art Gallery in Pembroke Pines. This event is being organized by Dainy Tapia from Art Seen 365.

Alright – so here’s a fun one. What do you think about NFTs?

As wonderful and innovative tool NFT has been for the advancement of the arts, I am completely oppose to them because of the damage they cause to the environment. The biggest way that NFTs impact our planet is through the enormous amount of energy they consume in their production and the vast carbon print they leave behind.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://maiyap.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/maiyapfineart/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PaletteKnifeArtist
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/maiyap-art-b5485831/

Image Credits
All pictures are taken by me.