10/9/18: L.A.-based Yaoyao Ma Van As is a wonderful young illustrator and background painter who has already worked for giants like Disney TV Animation, Warner Brothers Animation, and Rick and Morty. But though she has gained attention and commercial success illustrating other people’s ideas, it’s in her personal work that she really shines.

Ma Van As has an amazing instinct for capturing the magic of everyday moments, and she possesses the ability to render them with just the right amounts of self deprecation and tenderness. Her paintings aren’t perfect, but they’re perfectly right. They feel like real moments, the kind that can pass us by without our ever noticing, but which appear in the little movies our brains play when we’re thinking about someone. Whether she’s exploring fun with her dog Parker or delicious solitary moments or chronicling coupledom’s quirks and daily routines, Ma Van As’s ability and heart completely floor me.

You can follow the artist on her website and on Instagram, Facebook, and Tumblr.

All images property of Yaoyao Ma Van As.