About
Olivia Yuen is an artist and educator, creating block prints from her home studio in Phoenix, AZ. Her work is inspired by a variety of subject matter including botany, the Sonoran desert, and explorations of her biracial Mexican + Chinese heritage. Her printmaking journey began in 2019, and although formally instructed in the mediums of painting and drawing, she is self-taught in relief block printing.
Each print begins as an original drawing which is transferred onto a block of linoleum. The negative space areas of the design are then carefully carved out, leaving the relief image on the block.
Once fully carved, each block is inked using oil based relief printing inks and hand-pressed with a baren to ensure all areas of the design are printed evenly on the paper. This method of printing by hand allows for subtle differences to emerge in the prints -- giving each one an organic, handmade touch.
In addition to creating her printed works, Olivia is an educator and currently teaches middle school art. Sharing her passion for the arts with others plays a significant role, and Olivia also instructs linocut printmaking workshops at local art studio, Sunshine Craft Company. You can find her work available online via Ersy and her web shop, or locally at Palabras Bilingual Bookstore, Practical Art, the Vision Gallery gift shop, and a variety of other markets and art festival events across the central Phoenix area.
