Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Yoko Izu. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Hi Yoko, thanks for joining us today. Do you wish you had started sooner?
No. As cliché as it may be to say this, I think my creative career came together at just the right time. The work I’ve been able to produce in the past couple of years has been because of my cumulative experiences leading up to this point. The person I’ve become through the years and being in the right mental and emotional state have informed my work and creative choices.
Had I started earlier, I think my work would have felt forced and inauthentic. I don’t think I would have been able to hone in on developing my voice or style quite as quickly, nor would I have been able to understand the motivation behind my work.
Although I’ve always been creative and wanted to incorporate the arts into my life, it wasn’t until 2022 that I truly felt the pull back into painting. It was the perfect storm of things. Fresh on the heels of a divorce, I had moved back to the US from Johannesburg, South Africa, where I had lived for about 6-7 years. There was also the global pandemic and despite being back in the familiarity of the town I grew up in, I had never felt more out of place.
In seeking an outlet for all of these emotions and a community where I might feel like I “belong”, I tentatively signed up for abstract painting classes at the Woodstock School of Art, taught by my now good friend Melanie Delgado. Though I had been painting at home, I hadn’t felt confident enough to openly share my art with others. But I knew that if I wanted to grow and change things up, then I needed to challenge myself.
Putting myself out there in this way, and taking a big step towards acknowledging my desire to see where painting would take me, was a total game-changer. I was ready to commit to my craft and could openly receive the feedback and advice offered to me.
I’m proud to say that my commitment to showing up for class and painting steadily for the last year have led to the most exciting opportunity yet: my first solo show! “The Space Between” just opened on April 4, 2024 at the YWCA’s Maiden Lane Gallery in Kingston, NY, and runs through May 17.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
I am a Japanese American abstract artist and lifelong creative. Born in Woodstock, NY, I spent 20+ years across NYC, Japan, and South Africa before returning to New York’s Hudson Valley in 2021. Though I minored in Visual Arts in college, and even thought about becoming an art therapist at one point, life took me on several different paths that left little time and energy for creative endeavors. Thankfully, I rediscovered my love for painting in 2022.
As a child of immigrants, I have often found myself wondering where I belong. Feeling neither fully Japanese nor fully American, painting has become a necessary tool to explore the complexity of identity and inhabiting the space in between. My work is rooted in finding ways to bridge the gaps between my cultures, countries, and languages—and creating a place of belonging in the process.
My mixed-media approach explores ways to merge my American upbringing with my Japanese roots through the use of different materials and techniques. My works vacillate between quiet, minimalist compositions and bright colors and bold marks. They can be wildly different but all have the same foundation. I start with acrylic paint on heavyweight paper or canvas, usually pairing it with a technique loosely inspired by monotype printing to create additional textures and patterns. Tapping into my childhood fondness for paper crafts, I also incorporate specialty papers (predominantly washi) for layers and depth and some element of gold as a signature mark.
While the motivation behind my work has some pretty serious roots, I don’t take art itself too seriously. Meaning that doing it and consuming it should be fun and it doesn’t have to be so precious or unapproachable. Art can be provocative and beautiful and heartbreaking and hilarious. You can like something because of the emotions it stirs up deep inside you or just because it’s pretty to look at. In fact, there’s no “right way up” for my paintings. I encourage those who invest in my work to display it in whatever orientation feels right to them or provokes the strongest reaction.
Everyone experiences art differently, and that’s the beauty of it.
Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can provide some insight – you never know who might benefit from the enlightenment.
Just how much heart and soul are poured into everything I create. The amount of time, energy, and money I put into painting is probably baffling to many—and I can’t blame them! But it’s just something I need to do.
While I certainly can’t and won’t speak for every artist, to me, each painting feels like a page (or 10) out of my journal (if I kept a journal, that is). I don’t necessarily remember what I was feeling or thinking when working on them, but I know each mark made was the result of a thought that crossed my mind, a conversation I had with someone, or even just my mood in that moment.
Creating is an outlet for me. It’s how I process my thoughts and feelings, how I work out problems, and how I communicate things that would otherwise be difficult to articulate.
I’m not a full-time artist so some weeks, the only time I get to paint is when I go to class. There have also been plenty of weeks when I don’t paint at all.
But being an artist isn’t about how many hours you diligently spend at the easel or if you graduated with an arts degree. It’s about allowing yourself the freedom to tap into your creative spirit in whatever way feels most naturally fulfilling to you.
What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?
Hands down, it is being a part of a community where I can inspire and be inspired.
I will forever be grateful to a few key people who openly shared their knowledge and learnings with me when I started getting serious about painting. In a field where it can sometimes feel like there’s a lot of gatekeeping and elitism, I have been incredibly fortunate to be surrounded by the most talented and inspiring people who are never shy about expressing their support for other artists.
I’ve learned tips and tricks for staying organized as my body of work grows, submitting to open calls, preparing for a solo show, and where you can cut costs (and where you shouldn’t). People have given me recommendations for framers and where to get the best art supplies. Others have shared tools and materials to play with, reviewed my artist bio and statements, offered encouragement and constructive feedback, and happily shared my work and achievements. The amount of support and camaraderie I experience regularly is outstanding.
After my recent show opening, a few artist friends told me that it had inspired new ideas and motivation in them. Hearing that was among the highest compliments I received that night.
Though I am in the early stages of my art career and still have so much more to learn than I have to offer, I try to pay that same generosity and spirit forward how and when I can. I can only hope to have a fraction of the inspiring impact that others have had on me.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://yokoizu.com/art-things
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/yokolily/
Image Credits
Dominique Lucia Photography Melanie Delgado Yoko Izu