Meet Yai Vila

Today we’d like to introduce you to Yai Vila.

So, before we jump into specific questions about your art, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
Of course, well, I have always been a drawer. I actually don’t remember ever not been drawing. Since I was about two my mom used to put fax paper all over the floor and let me go wild so I did, one of my first memories of drawing is creating basketball players very colorful and taking my time patiently obsessed with making it look right, but I could only have been four years old.

Anyway, I kept drawing and drawing and after that I became very interested with photoshop, so I taught myself, asked my mom for a tablet and started doing digital illustrations as a hobby. It wasn’t actually until I moved to the US (when I was 21) that I figured out I could make a living with art, so I started putting pieces up in different group shows and later on having my own solo show. Little by little each accomplishment lead me to the next one and I started painting murals and doing logos for businesses and bands etc., printing my own prints and creating a clothing collection while still painting and creating digital artwork.

Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It definitely has not been a very smooth road but overall, I feel more than lucky and blessed by the universe in my art career and in general as well. One of the worst obstacles I was presented with was when my art studio burnt down due to an electrical fire. I lost all my and my ex-partners’ art materials and tools and many art pieces that were finished or started, so it was a great setback and loss and a big tragedy for the owner of the studio as well. Still somehow, in the weirdest of ways, I believe it was meant to happen like that. I have also been incredibly lucky and always very welcome by the artist community and I have been given great opportunities, so I honestly have no complaints and I am completely grateful.

We’d love to hear more about your art.
My name is Yai and if you combine that with ice cream you get Yaicecream. So basically I create a world of fun, colorful, happy characters experiencing and portraying things I like and I feel inspired by, as well as wearing shoes and clothes I want. I give life to these beings and it makes me feel better because with them I am never alone. You pretty much will only see me creating an animal or monster-like characters because it’s my way of representing everybody in the world and their moods. Sometimes I feel very flamingo and in general I feel very much Doggo.

That being said, all these fun little guys and cool worlds can be adapted to paintings, illustrations, murals, designs, t-shirts, keychains, stickers, coloring books, etc. I hope to one day I can grow the brand to its biggest potential and I have a cartoon show or Videogame and a lot more interactive things for kids and adults as well.

What sets me apart from others? The color palette I use, the happy, chill, positive vibe I try to convey, the pleasant shapes and lines I create my art with, the vision I have and my intent to make this world a better place, or at least a happier more colorful one.

Do you look back particularly fondly on any memories from childhood?
I have a million, too many to chose only one, but I guess just a general sense of freedom, riding my skateboard and my bike, rollerblading, playing soccer, being in the pool all summer and not caring about anything in general, painting Warhammer little figurines and playing Gameboy. Hanging out with my friends in the street and checking the clock waiting for 6 pm to go home and turn on Disney channel cause there was this show called Art Attack that would teach kids little art tricks and ideas to make, like anything with paper mache, or drawing techniques. Not much has changed, I guess…

Contact Info:

• Website: http://behance.net/yaicecreamtime
• Email: yaicecreamtime@gmail.com
• Instagram: yaicecream

Image Credit:
Ektor Louise

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