YOKO MCRAE, of Lyford, has been chosen, “Artist of the Month,” by the Willacy County Art League. Yoko McRae, of Lyford, has been chosen, “Artist of the Month,” by the Willacy County Art League.

Yoko is originally from Yokohama, Japan and has been in the Rio Grande Valley for five years and a member of WCAL for two years.

Although she has not formally studied art, she studied Japanese Calligraphy since the age of six and has a junior level Japanese calligraphy teaching certification with the pen-name “Kaen Miyamoto.”

Yoko paints in watercolor, acrylic, oil and pastel, but prefers oil. She believes that the medium of oil creates such a detailed reality in a painting, has an extremely rich appearance and holds unlimited possibilites.

She enjoys painting because it is a challenge to put her own interpretation or ideas on canvas and she wants to learn different techniques and the possibilities of each medium.

Yoko met two artists that greatly inspired her - Marko Mauvovich and Csaba Markus. Mauvovich is a landscape painter who captures light effects and color on his signature ocean and hillside paintings and Markus creates harmony and perfection within his Renaissance style of portraing women as mythological beings. Meeting and talking with these artists made Yoko appreciate art on a whole new level. She states that it is the ability to create the “wow” factor she admires most in an artist.

As to her time in the WCAL, Yoko tells of the welcoming atmosphere, the ability to ask questions of all the artists and the invaluable instruction of the WCAL Wednesday morning teacher, she also enjoys being a part of an organization that provides college scholarships to graduates majoring in art.

WCAL embraces diversity in art and culture and Yoko McRae has given an insight into “East meets West” that is a delight to all members.