Today we’re excited to be connecting with Yeesan Loh again. If you haven’t already, we suggest you check out our prior conversation with them here.
Yeesan, thanks for joining us again. Just to level set a bit for folks who may have missed our last interview together, can you briefly introduce yourself?
Hi! My name is Yeesan Loh & I am a painter, writer & designer. I love art & I love food & cooking, and my work is a mash-up of the two. I do commissioned work and I have an eponymous print & stationery line that is sold retail and wholesale. I also have several food book projects that I am currently working on.
My journey getting to where I am at today has not been a linear one…..but let’s just say that what I am doing now with painting & stationery is my “3rd act”, although they were 2 of my first loves.
Great, so let’s jump into an update on what you have been up to since we last spoke. What can you share with us?
Ooph. It has been a lot LOL! The last interview with Voyage Houston was 5 years ago….it was only 2 years into me leaving interior design to give painting & illustration a real shot and not really knowing if I had a shot in making it. So it is interesting to be back here again to reflect on my personal & business evolution since then.
I checked the interview date and it was April 2020…..we would have been only about a month into COVID lock-down. I remember this very clearly because I had just installed a show in a Brooklyn brewery in March that was due to open in April and run for a month. My artwork ended up being there for almost year! It was a year-long exhibit that nobody saw. Tragically funny.
Those were the “New York days” – I say that because I am now based in New Orleans. Been here about 2.5 years now. Big move, big change, but it was time after 15 years in NY. Well that’s what I thought until we got 12″ of snow last month hahaha.
Anyway, my print & stationery line has grown quite a bit since – in body of artwork, product types as well as retail footprint. Back in January 2020, I had just joined Faire. It started out slow but my products steadily made it into stores in the country. Now, in my 5th year, I have stockists in Canada, U.K., Germany & Switzerland, which is sometimes hard to believe, On the custom work & commission side, there has been interesting projects & clients, a few publications under my belt, and a licensing deal with a company in Canada that is using select artwork for tea towels (it is fun to see my work in another medium other than paper!)
Fun fact: I have been doing a monthly newsletter (usually about a food topic – researched & fully illustrated) since 2018. Back in April 2020, it was newsletter No. 22 and right now, I am working on newsletter No. 80. So, if I have not done anything else, I have at least crafted 58 newsletters since then!
Alright, so let’s do something a bit more fast-paced and lighthearted. We call this our lightning round and we’ll ask you a few quick questions.
- Favorite Book: I have many….but right at this moment, “The Elegance of the Hedgehog” comes to mind for some reason
- Favorite TV Show: The White Lotus
- Sweet or Savory: Savory
- As a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up: Veterinarian / Egyptologist
- French Fries or Onion Rings: Both!
- Favorite Breakfast Food: Eggs
What would the perfect day look like for you? Please give us as many details as possible.
“The perfect day” can be so many things, in so many different places, with so many different people and/or animals….I’ll go for a very simple perfect day where I get to do all the “normal” things I love to do.
In my mind, it would be a cool but sunny day in spring or fall. Perhaps my birthday. I would go horseback riding in the morning (preferably on one of my favorite school horses. Yes, I have favorites). Then off to the farmers’ market for a shop and a yummy breakfast sandwich. Come home, paint for few hours. Maybe do some food research and learn something new. Start prepping & cooking for a dinner party, everything from scratch & made with love. Set a pretty table, flowers a must but keep it simple & elegant. Shower, get dressed. My favorite people arrive and we have a wonderful evening of delicious food & wine, interesting conversations and good laughs. We end with a triumphant dessert & fun was had by all.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.yeesan.com
- Instagram: @yeesanloh
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/yeesan.loh.7
- Other: https://www.patreon.com/YeesanLoh
Image Credits
Yeesan Loh
