After Arty Guava (Lay Hoon Ho) is done work for the day as a graphic designer and tucks her son into bed, she creates. Nestled into a cozy space on the couch, with a bubble tea (“without the bubbles,” she laughs), she’s ready to illustrate. 

Her art practice has become a nightly ritual since the beginning of the pandemic last March. Globally heightened emotions propelled Arty Guava into the current illustration style you see on her Instagram today: “I really needed an outlet to manage my stress and anxiety and all the things I’m feeling. I channel all that into my illustration to create hopeful and uplifting imagery for myself. It’s my own self-therapy. I like to create something that is calming, something that makes me happy, something that gives me hope. And hopefully when I share it with other people, they feel the same way.”

Arty Guava explains that she initially used to do fashion illustration and watercolour. Over time, her work evolved for practicality and principled reasons. On the practical side, watercolour became more difficult when she had her son. Working with water and having a little one around doesn’t always mix. “I switched over to digital illustration because I can do it anywhere,” says Arty Guava.

She also explains that fashion illustration didn’t represent all shapes and sizes, and it made her move to a more abstract body type: “I was sort of recreating what I see in the magazines. They’re pushing an aesthetic of how a woman should look from her eyes to her body proportions. I didn’t really agree with that but I didn’t know how to express it. So, I went more abstract from doing something very realistic. With my current illustration style, it’s more about how the person is feeling or the environment she’s in.” The bodies she illustrates act as a vessel to capture the activity and emotion within her pieces.

Arty Guava’s illustrations mirror her desire for a calm, tranquil, and joyful mindset. When your eyes fall on her imagery, it certainly brings a sense of calm. From the relaxing colours she chooses to the abstract body shapes she forms, it brings you back to the core of simple joy.

In addition to her illustration work, a few years ago she began her art installation business, Other Half Studios with co-founder, Sumay C. Other Half Studios came to be when they realized that many museums and art galleries weren’t bringing immersive, sensory experiences. As mothers with young children, they felt that it wasn’t a friendly experience since most pieces are delicate and expensive. “We thought, there needs to be more art installations for kids as well. Art that all ages can enjoy. We came up with the idea for a giant kaleidoscope because that is something both of us really enjoyed as children,” says Arty Guava. Since then, they’ve had their kaleidoscopes featured in museums throughout Asia.

In 2020, Arty participated in the Vancouver Mural Festival, adding another large-scale art piece to her repertoire: “This was the first time I had my own mural. It really is quite a big piece. With COVID-19 and all that, I think I didn’t really reach out to volunteers because I wasn’t sure how we were going to social distance. I have my full-time job and take care of my kid, so I had to do the mural on the weekends. That part was a little stressful but I really enjoyed creating something that takes up such a big space.”

When asked how she came up with the name Arty Guava she says, “I really like guava. I’m a serious guava addict. In Asia that was my daily ritual. Whenever I would go to the fruit store, the person would know and take out a pack of guava because he knew that’s what I want every day. Arty is because I like art. I wanted to keep the name very simple and representative of me.” An answer that reflects exactly what she aims for in her art; simplicity and joy.

Check out Arty Guava’s work on Instagram or her website.