Come Play, Make, and Feel: The Joyful Art of Risa Iwasaki Culbertson

Risa Iwasaki Culbertson brought pure delight to the photoshoot. Surrounded by oversized felted sardines, deviled eggs, and bowtie pasta, she radiated playful energy that filled the room with laughter. The final image feels like a pin-up calendar filtered through a lens of color, quirk, and joy — a perfect reflection of the world Risa creates through her art.

Risa is a multi-disciplinary artist based in San Francisco, working across fiber arts, illustration, and storytelling. Biracial and born in Japan, she grew up using art as a way to bridge the gap between two cultures — and that instinct to connect through creativity still drives her work today. Inspired by the healing power of humor and play, she creates colorful, whimsical pieces that help process complex emotions and create a sense of belonging.

Her creations range from paper art and sculpture to stop-motion animation, blending tactile materials, nostalgia, and storytelling. She also teaches workshops in delightfully unexpected places — think “Drink & Draw” at a bar, or “Sketchy Skate,” where people roller skate and sketch together. These gatherings aren’t just about making art — they’re about building community through movement, play, and creativity.

Beneath the whimsy, her work holds space for deep feeling. Before the pandemic, she ran a line of letterpress greeting cards under the name PapaLlama. In 2023, her focus shifted toward grief, creating an installation with a large, soft green chair — a place of comfort in loneliness. That collection blended softness and silliness with the weight of loss, showing how sorrow and light can coexist.

Her recent series of giant picnic foods invites us to find levity and comfort when life feels heavy. As Risa says, “Life may not be a picnic, but when we come together and let the sun warm us, we might find some respite in the light.”

If you’d like to meet Risa and experience her hands-on, welcoming approach to art, she offers a variety of workshops that invite connection, creativity, and fun.