Welcome to Izcentric

Hello friends. My name is Izzy Richey, and I was born and raised in Houston, Texas. I’m 25 years old and the second oldest of six siblings: one older sister, three younger brothers, and a younger sister.

I first got into art my freshman year of high school and quickly realized I had a natural feel for it. I stayed with it until junior year, when my father passed away, and I decided not to take it senior year. Later on, I was recruited to play softball at Southwestern University in Georgetown, Texas. While looking through their scholarships, I noticed they offered one for art. I applied, and somehow ended up being one of only five students accepted, which also meant committing to being an art major.

All throughout college, I saw art as something I was pursuing purely out of passion and curiosity, not necessarily as a career path. I truly didn’t think going full time with it was in the cards for me. I got to experiment with so many different mediums, including painting, sculpture, and ceramics using wood, wax, bronze, metal, clay, oil, charcoal, cardboard, and acrylic. Then sophomore year, I took my first painting class and was introduced to oil paint. I had always said I could work in any medium except paint, but there I was, completely falling in love with it.

From there, I focused my major on oil painting, and for my senior project, I created the cup series pictured above. I had the chance to show it in my first gallery on campus, and it ended up being purchased by the university president. It is now displayed in the admissions office for new students to see :)

After graduating, I decided to finally try serving tables and eventually bartending, something I had always wanted to experience. I learned a lot during that time, but without really noticing it, I stopped making art altogether that first year after college. I told myself it was because I did not have proper ventilation for oil painting, but in reality, it felt like I was living without a part of myself.

Eventually, I started looking for a medium I could use in a smaller space, and that is when I found paint markers. I started with a basic Craft Smart set and quickly began improving. About three months in, I upgraded to my first set of Posca markers, and from there my progress really took off. I picked up a few commissions here and there, mostly pet portraits, but did not think much beyond that.

Then, about two years into serving, I got my first oil painting commission in October 2024. It was a huge project, and the pay allowed me to take two weeks off work to fully dedicate myself to it. After that, one commission turned into another, and eventually I was able to quit my job and focus on art full time.

By January 2025, things started to slow down, and I was only getting one or two small commissions every other week. I had started posting on social media back in November, but I was not reaching much of an audience. So I spent the next few months experimenting with different types of content, trying to figure out how I wanted to share my art and show up online.

In May 2025, I got my first set of brush tip markers, which was a total game changer, and painted my very first rock. I was not sure how to price it, so I listed it as an auction on my website. The first six were gnome designs I created, and while they did okay, I still was not making enough to keep going full time. I was planning to start looking for a part time job that next Monday.

Then that Sunday before, I painted my first Pokémon rock, my forever starter, good old Squirtle. I posted the video, and within a single day I received 30 commissions, and by the end of the week 80 total. Everything shifted from that moment on.

That first month alone, I gained 10k followers on TikTok and completed over 120 commissions. I partnered with Lumaprints, the company I had already been using, and had eight different brands send me markers to try. My favorites are JusArt and Let’s Resin. It honestly felt like everything I had been hoping for was finally happening. I had an audience, I had momentum, and I finally felt like I could fully step into sharing my art the way I wanted to. My confidence grew so much, not just as an artist, but as a person.

In August, I started posting more consistently on Instagram too and went from 600 to 15k followers in about six weeks. For me, it is not really about the numbers. It is more about what they represent. It shows that I am starting to understand how to share my work in a genuine way and connect with people through it. The support and encouragement I have received these past few months have truly laid the foundation for everything moving forward.

It is October 6th, 2025, as I am writing this, and I am still in awe of how much has changed and how much support you all have shown me. I know this is just the beginning. I thought about making this a more general message that could be read at any time, but I love that this exact moment, this reflection, is captured as it is.

I know that someday I will come back to this and think, “She had no idea what was coming next.”

I honor my past, I am grateful for my present, and I am open to everything ahead. Thank you for being here and being part of this journey with me.