Leah Yael Levy is my full name, I prefer that you call me Yael. I am a mixed media artist, storyteller, printmaker and art teacher based in Berkeley, CA. I draw, paint, collage and write. I often self publish my work, and sometimes print and bind it by hand. I love playing with forms and format and mixing digital and tactile techniques.
My work is based in my own experience as a brown, bi-racial, bilingual and bisexual woman. Since this is a-lot to unpack, I often take more pleasure in telling others’ stories, making up imaginary creatures or just painting images of beautiful nature. I believe the creative process to be its own reward and the act of making an incredible tool for healing and growing. I like to remind people of the artist in them, or at the very least make them smile. Although once in a while the work makes people cry too.
Born and raised in Israel, I first moved to New York City in 2002 to attend the Art Students League of New York, later I completed a BFA of Illustration from Parsons(2011). After four years doing design and illustrations for The Unemployed Philosophers Guild, I moved to California to pursue an MFA in Comics at CCA(2017). In recent years I’s been a Teaching Artist with Kala Art Institute, Richmond Art Center and JCC of the East Bay. My work has been published by The Nib (2018), Birdy Magazine(2019) and Forward Comix(2017 & 2020).
“If I had to tell you why I’m a painter and why I spread paint on a canvas, I should say: I paint because I have no tail to wag.”
From Rosshalde by Herman Hesse
Email me at leahyael@gmail.com or fill out the form below.