Youveline Joseph is a visual artist, born in Haiti but raised in Brockton, Massachusetts. Her passion for art began at a young age.  At age of five, she began creating artwork with crayons and markers. Drawing was second nature to young Youveline. In high school, she took an International Baccalaureate art class, an advanced art course designed for students to excel and develop their artistic abilities. Coming from an immigrant family, Youveline decided to pursue a more “practical” profession as opposed to fulfilling her true passion. Therefore, Youveline minored in Fine Arts at Suffolk University, while majoring in Sociology with a concentration in Health Medicine. Despite not being classically trained, after graduating in 2017, Youveline decided to pursue her art on a more professional level. 

 

While on her journey of self acceptance, she began to develop her Afrocentric painting style. She mainly paints in acrylic and/or oil paint. Youveline prides herself in creating pieces that you can feel, both internally and externally. With that being said, her work mainly consists of portraits that capture the essence and beauty of her muses. In 2021, she began coining herself as the “cowrie artist”, after realizing the significance and presence cowrie shells have in her artist signature. The shells themselves symbolize womanhood, femininity, birth, and wealth; just a few of the many things her art embodies. 

 

In addition to cowrie shells, Youveline also incorporates vibrant colors, patterns, textures, crystals, glitter, fabric, beads, and jewelry to personalize her artworks. Making her pieces one of a kind. In short, her inspiration comes from beauty, culture, social media, fashion, adversity, and societal issues. Her body of work focuses on representation and her goal is to showcase the beauty and diversity within the African Diaspora.