Shayna Yasuhara Interview

Interview & Photography by Ariel

I was introduced to Shayna Yasuhara last month at the Roll Up Gallery (Public Works) at an opening entitled WINDOWS – Women Work. The exhibit was dedicated to the works of emerging female artists and featured pieces in a variety of media: oil painting, sculpture, video art, drawings, spray paint, installation, photography, as well as performance.

While much of the work being displayed was worth talking about, it was Shayna’s cute and cuddly works of art that stuck out in an upbeat and quirky sort of way. Her paintings gave me a warm, fuzzy feeling, so I caught up with her on another night, while at Art Explosion Studios and chatted her up. What I learned is that, not unlike her artwork, Shayna has a certain charm that draws people in. She’s candid and open and has a lot of insightful thoughts to share with other women out there.

When did you know you wanted to be an artist?
For a long time I grappled with the term “artist.” I was never really sure if I was a qualified “artist,” but I kept drawing and people kept giving me shows and opportunities so on it went. As a fairly private person, art was one of my only ways to truly express myself. Even then, I don’t really express myself clearly in my work, but that’s fine with me.

I also noticed if I don’t draw I get cranky and feel like something is really missing.

It’s like I am borderline addicted to the whole thing. So yeah, I guess I’m not sure when, but somewhere along the way I must have become an artist-type.

Your roots are in both San Francisco and Boston. How did that happen?
I grew up in suburban San Ramon, CA, which is not quite San Francisco but, instead, somewhere off Highway 680. I left for Boston in 2001 to attend Northeastern University. After graduating, I stuck around for an additional four years, totaling nine years. Boston is a hard city and I have a high respect for those that can keep in good humor out there (despite extreme hot and cold weather and a lot of people “keeping it real” in often less than pleasant ways). It makes you really appreciate anything good that happens to you, which I think is a valuable lesson.

This year, I decided to relocate to San Francisco. I think being surrounded by so many creative people in the city will help motivate me to be more productive and take my style to a new level. I am also enjoying the other aspects of the city immensely: the food, nightlife, sitting at parks, and the adorable dogs everywhere…

How did you become the founder of Paint Pens in Purses?
In 2008, I had started Paint Pens in Purses, an all-female urban art collective out of Boston. The idea started with the hopes to throw just one show. From there it morphed into a whole series of art shows throughout Boston, a pop-up gallery, a book, and, most importantly, a strong team of talented female artists.

What or who are some of your influences?
Although I have many art influences, my work is a direct reflection of the music [to which] it was conceived. I am greatly and primarily influenced by electronic music. I love Drum and Bass, Jungle, Dubstep, Baile Funk, Garage, Glitch hop, IDM, and other genres that tend to feed the spirit and sound like they should be played in a forest.

Your work has been shown at Urban Outfitters and the adidas Originals store. How do you handle the business side of being an artist?
I try to be on point when it comes to communication. I want to break the stereotype that all artists are flakes. I want to be someone who consistently responds to others and is always polite. Past that, I am not much of a businesswoman and would definitely benefit from a life coach and manager.

I love the cute, fuzzy creatures, dreamy landscapes, balloons, everyday appliances, animated ice cream cones that you create. Why do you draw what you do and how do you decide what you want to draw next?
I really try to avoid planning out my paintings. I look within my initial background colors to see if anything pops out at me and usually something does. Then I trace that thing that appears [to me] and create some friends for it and an environment and off it goes!

What materials and medium do you like using most?
In order for me to produce new work, I need the following: wood panels (which I get cut by my stepdad), acrylic paint, Micron pens, Sharpies, and polyurethane for the finish. I tend to be a sucker for thick pens, but I have gradually learned to have some self-control and use finer pens for detailing. I also love collage.

I really love your playful crowded picture spaces and busy detailing. Do you like to spend a lot of time on each piece?
I do spend a good deal of time on detailing, but not in a technical sense. I don’t enjoy spending hours on shading and realism, so I don’t really care to spend my time this way. However, if every rock, tree, flower, and bush doesn’t have a personality by the end, then the picture is not complete to me.

Image courtesy of the artist

Describe your process for creating new work?
To avoid getting bogged down by any one project, I start multiple projects and work on the different processes depending on how I feel. Some days I feel like just sketching, other days just creating backgrounds, and on good days with lots of caffeine, I will work on pen detail.

Do you have any advice for other women artists out there?

Be kind to your fellow female artists and work together.

We are trained at an early age to see other women as competition—whether it’s about boys, social status, or professions, we are trained to compete, but the art world should be a sanctuary from that mentality.

Image courtesy of the artist

Do you have any upcoming shows or projects?
I am currently showing at the Roll Up Gallery, which is part of the music venue, Public Works in San Francisco. I have also recently collaborated on a Valentine’s Day card project with the Paint Pens in Purses crew commissioned by the Boston Phoenix.

Also in the works is a complete tarot card deck. I have been working on this project for over a year and am hoping to finish it within the next six months. My deck is inspired by the Rider-Waite tarot deck. I am particularly inspired by the artist behind this original and most famous tarot deck, Pamela Colman Smith. She lived and died as a relatively unknown artist of her time; she is an early and mysterious female artist I greatly admire.

Thanks to Shayna for sharing her work and creative process. For more info on Shayna Yasuhara, her upcoming shows, and to view her work, please visit her website.