Joy Chew presented her art, representing San Francisco, the Giants, baseball, Pride and the 20th anniversary of the Winter of Love, at the Giants game in San Francisco on June 15. Her work was one of three selected by the team to celebrate Pride Day.
During the pandemic, people found countless ways to cope with the stress and boredom of it all. Some did jigsaw puzzles. Others baked sourdough bread or gorged on take-out pizza and margaritas. But not Joy Chew. Instead, she started creating foiled art based on digital drawings of her friends’ cats and dogs.
And while some of us have only our 1,000-piece beach scenes or 15 extra pounds to show for it, Chew has a thriving business with a philanthropic mission.
At first, Chew displayed her art online, sharing it only with friends and family. But the demand for more was immediate, with orders and commissions pouring in. She also found ways to use her art to fundraise for causes as varied as Ukraine relief to cat rescues – for which she raised $18,000.
In April 2023, when Montana Republicans voted to bar transgender lawmaker Zooey Zephyr from the house floor for advocating for gender-affirming care for minors, Chew was deeply moved to do something. In the spirit of allyship, Chew created a foiled print of the Zephyr titled “Let Her Speak” and donated it to The San Francisco LGBT Center.
This sparked an ongoing relationship with the Center and a commission for 18 portraits of Queer Icons. Nominated by the Center, Chew’s art was selected by the San Francisco Giants to celebrate Pride Day at their game on June 15. We were thrilled to chat with her about her background, artistic process and the various other causes she supports.
How long have you lived in Orinda?
I moved here with my family when I was in the second grade and attended Glorietta, OIS and graduated from Miramonte. I went to Cal for undergrad, Hastings for my law degree and then moved to the South Bay for work.
When did you move back to Orinda?
I moved to Orinda in 2015 when I had my own family. My husband, Gregory, is from Singapore, and my family is still in Orinda so we moved to be closer to them. My brother moved back, too, and we’re all within a one-mile radius of each other.
You practiced law for several years and eventually found your way back to art, which was your major (art history) at Berkeley. Tell us about that evolution.
I quit practicing law when I became pregnant with my first child. (Victor is now 11 and his brother Brandon is nine.) I focused on my kids for almost a decade.
During the pandemic, everyone was trying to find a way to de-stress. I tried a bunch of arts and crafts and found toner foiling. I started drawing friends’ pets and shared them online and it exploded. People had never seen anything like it before and lots of people wanted one and it snowballed into a business.
Did you always know that you would come back to art?
My mom is an artist and a stay-at-home mom and I wanted to be just like her. She instilled in me the urge to constantly create. It was always in the back of my mind that I could do what she did and I’m so grateful that now I can.
How did you choose foil as your mode of expression?
It was happenstance. I saw someone doing it on Reddit and thought it was beautiful and fun, and perhaps most importantly, achievable. It took a lot of trial and error and experiments to get my technique and art style down, but it’s now near flawless. I know I’m one of the few artists doing foil with this level of detail and cleanness.
Foil makes the drawings more interesting and beautiful. The foil is reflective, so depending on your viewing angle, the colors change with the light. It’s a dazzling effect.
Your involvement with the San Francisco LGBT Center began when you donated a portrait of transgender Montana Rep Zooey Zephyr, who was barred from the State House Floor for her public LGBTQ stances. What was it about this issue that resonated with you?
It’s because I’m a woman and a minority and it’s all the same. We’re all struggling. I’ve only been around for a few decades, but I was raised on ideals of equality and rights. Many of those rights are being chipped away, and we’re going backwards as a country. I try to help shine a light on those issues with my art.
Tell us about the San Francisco Giants art competition to celebrate Pride Day.
In May, the LGBT Center reached out to all their sponsored artists. The artists had a week to respond with art ideas that encompassed San Francisco, the Giants, baseball, Pride and the 20th anniversary of the Winter of Love, when same-sex marriage licenses were first issued in California.
I quickly thought of a couple of really bad ideas, but then thought of a wedding cake with a baseball-themed topper. I made the genders ambiguous and placed them on a rainbow cake. Amazingly, my design was selected as one of the three winners from the pool submitted! I painted the design on a baseball base and I was honored at a Giants game on June 15.
You also give back to a diverse range of other causes, including everything from Glorietta Elementary to wildlife charities. How do you decide where to contribute?
A lot of it is serendipity. I keep my eye out for what resonates with me. If I don’t have a passion for something, it doesn’t work. But I’m always open if anyone ever needs help with any cause.
What is the point of art if you can’t look out for others? I often feel powerless with what little I can do, as an individual, to help change the world for the better. Art to me is a small way to help make that change.
Visit joyousjoyness.com to see more of Chew’s art.
