I am a self-taught paper cutout & stencil artist based in the Hudson Valley. Inspired by traditional Japanese stencil textiles and the Mingei folk art movement, I have been practicing art since 1999.
I make bird paintings with biodegradable materials: natural pigments, arabic gum, wood panels, and paper. My greeting cards and art prints are printed in-house and on-demand, using high-quality paper made from sustainable sources. Past commissions include artworks for New York City’s Department of Transportation, NYC Parks, Atlantic Magazine, and National Audubon Society.
I am also a radio programmer and host a monthly show Beakuency: Meet Bird People in Hudson Valley! on Wave Farm's WGXC, a community radio station based in Columbia & Greene Counties in Upstate New York.
American Robin Flock in Flight, the piece featured in the Audubon Magazine.
Beakuency welcomes Drew Hopkins, an environmental educator and project coordinator at New York State Department of Environmental Conservation. He is leading the Alan Devoe Bird Club’s Shrike Search on Sat March 2, and tells us about this cute little bird’s brutal hunting behavior. He also shares the joy of nurturing students’ curiosity in wildlife through programs he facilitates at the Five Rivers Environmental Education Center in Albany, and his unique way of approaching Big Year, a personal challenge among birders to see as many species as possible within a calendar year.
Also on the show: music by English poet and musician Molly Drake, a sparrow-inspired composition by a 10-year-old Hudson Valley based artist Violet Upham-Smith, a swift song by Bristol UK-based folk musician Rachael Dadd, and a sparrow song by Canadian folk quartet Stranger Still.
I created cover and opener illustrations for Swarthmore College Bulletin Winter 2024 issue. The opener image accompanies stories of Swarthmore's alumni advocating for women's health, food security, and human rights.
I think we find a sense of hope in working with one another. So discussions with Phillip Stern, the designer of the Bulletin, were an important part of making these pieces about hope in fraught times. We chatted not only about the art direction but also birds and nature, optimism and fear, the role of art in this world and the time that we live in right now. It helped set the uplifting and thoughtful mood for the artworks.
Mayuko’s cover and story opener for the Bulletin are stunning! Her clean but evocative style of collage and stencil is refreshing and flexible. A great collaborator, she helped us to explore ways to visually welcome readers into difficult topics. Her sensitivity to the subject-matter and artistic innovation are both greatly appreciated. We wouldn’t hesitate to hire her again.
—Phillip Stern, Designer, Swarthmore College Bulletin
I did an interview with Natural Earth Paint for their Eco Artist of the Month series. I'm grateful for this opportunity to discuss natural pigments, birding, nature as subject matter, and the influence of the Mingei folk art movement on my work. Natural Earth Paint is an award-winning and Gold certified Green America business that uses natural earth and mineral pigments and organic ingredients to make completely safe, sustainable, and beautiful art supplies for children and fine artists. I've been using their natural pigments and arabic gum to create the Birds of Hudson Valley painting series.
My cutout art x cyanotype project received Columbia County Creative Catalyst Grant, CREATE Council on the Arts’ initiative sponsored by the Columbia County Legislators. I’ve been working on this site-specific project since September 2023. Production takes place at a variety of local nature spots and historic sites in the Hudson Valley. Cyanotype is one of the oldest photographic printing processes that creates shade of cyan blue as the result of its exposure to ultraviolet light (the sun.) I look forward to further develop this project in 2024!
Happy to be now represented by IllustrationX, one of the world’s leading illustration agencies with agents active across four continents. I have 10+ years experience in commercial illustration, and some of my past clients include Nokia, Panasonic, Charles Schwab, Condé Nast, The Resurgence Trust, Cricket Magazine, and Atlantic Magazine. Please contact IllustrationX for commercial illustration commission inquiries.
A series of paintings that feature local birds with local nature spots, farms, and historic sites in the Hudson Valley.
A series of stencil paintings made with natural pigments extracted from local non-native plants and rocks.
A collaborative project with Colorado-based artist Lack Lazuli that features five birds from Boulder.
Hooded Mergansers over Ashokan Reservoir, Shokan, Ulster County
Upstate New York Bird paintings: Hand-cut and stencil painted on stained wood panel 8" W x 10" H x 1.5" D. The wood panel is stained with Purecolor, the company voted “Best Eco-Friendly Stain on the Market” by Business Insider in 2019 and 2020. Stencil was painted with natural pigment from Natural Earth Paint. I write about each piece on my blog. Original paintings and art prints are available at my Etsy store.
Lack Lazuli’s Birds of Boulder is a collaborative project with Colorado-based artist Lack Lazuli. This art print features five birds from Colorado that appear in Trouts and Dipper, Lack Lazuli's guitar and field recording album released in July 2023, for which I created the bird painting for its album cover art.
This art print comes with a digital download of a mini album that includes field recordings of those five birds with their descriptions playfully narrated by Lack Lazuli. Download is available on Bandcamp.
Designed and printed in Upstate New York on white, high-quality, acid-free, 100% cotton fine art paper. Released from my DIY record label, Rabbit Rules Recording Studio.
Small 8.5" x 11"
Large 11" x 14"
Paper weight: 250gsm (64lb.)
Packaged in a compostable cello sleeve with sturdy backing chipboard.
We use cookies to analyze website traffic and optimize your website experience. By accepting our use of cookies, your data will be aggregated with all other user data.