Welcome to Studio YAU | Visual Arts site of Joel Yau

A successful commercial artist, Joel Yau brings to his visual arts a wealth of knowledge and a curiosity to explore new ground. He is accomplished working with chalk pastels, acrylics, oils and ceramics. Though the subject and medium may vary Joel’s well-honed skills as a draftsman and designer are evident in all of his work.

“I’ve always been inspired by artists who use free expressive marks to create structure. I love John Singer Sargent’s seemingly effortless technique and fresh approach to paint, Diebenkorn’s sense of color and bold design and Gustav Klimt’s sensitivity to line.” Since Joel’s work is informed by so many of the masters, his standards are indeed very high.

Since 1997, Joel has been invited to participate in street painting festivals in major cities in North and Central America, Europe and Asia. These festivals allow him to create large format chalk art reproductions in 2D as well as 3D anamorphic designs. Some of his favorite subjects are pin-up portrait illustrations from the 40’s and 50’s by artists like Walter Bomar and Gil Elvgren. His skilled hands, outgoing personality and love of this ephemeral art have made Joel a very successful chalk muralist and his work in this arena has won many accolades and awards.

In addition to street painting, Joel has expanded into permanent mural work for both public and private spaces. His mural projects—ranging from bold commercial commissions to intimate community-based works—demonstrate his ability to scale his designs while retaining detail, emotion, and clarity. His murals often combine representational imagery with a strong sense of narrative and design, enriching the environments they inhabit.

Joel holds a degree in Illustration from the Academy of Art University in San Francisco, and a degree in Visual Communications in Advertising from the University of the Philippines. He is a professional graphic designer, illustrator, fine artist, and art director based in Marin County, just north of San Francisco.

 

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