Yoko Izu is a Japanese American abstract artist and lifelong creative. Born in Woodstock, NY, she spent over two decades living in New York City, Japan, and South Africa before returning to the upstate area in 2021. Largely self-taught, she rediscovered her love for painting the following year and has since continued exploring ways to merge her American upbringing with her Japanese roots through different materials and techniques.Her mixed-media approach begins with acrylic paint on heavyweight paper or canvas, often paired with a technique loosely inspired by monotype printing to create additional textures and patterns. Tapping into her childhood fondness for paper crafts, she layers specialty papers (primarily washi) to add depth and dimension, along with gold elements as signature marks. Her work has been juried into multiple group shows, including Cooperstown Arts Association, Garrison Art Center, The Sketchbook Gallery (Saugerties, NY), and Woodstock Artists Association & Museum (WAAM). Her debut solo exhibition was held at Maiden Lane Gallery (Kingston, NY) in 2024, and she was invited to show in a duo exhibition at Buster Levi Gallery (Cold Spring, NY) in April 2025. Yoko is based in the Hudson Valley and studies at the Woodstock School of Art.