Artist's Statement

I give my mother full credit for noticing when I was young that I had an inclination towards art. When I was three years old, she says, I drew a picture of my grandmother with all of her body parts in the right places, earrings, and even shoes. As far as she had seen, that accuracy or detail wasn’t common for kids that age. 

She fostered my interest throughout my childhood, although I also gave her anxiety when I chose to major in Studio Art in college. While I wasn’t thinking about my job prospects at the time, she certainly was as an immigrant mother who wanted her daughters to be financially independent. After college, I found my way into corporate life for almost two decades before getting back into my art right here in Somerville in 2025. This is my first time participating in Somerville Open Studios, and I’ll be selling my work (originals and prints) for the first time as well.

Creating cohesion is central to my approach as a painter. When I start a new painting, I ask myself, “What’s the one thing you want this painting to do?” That ‘one thing’ can be technical or spiritual, such as capturing the forward lean of a model, or creating an emotional field. My focus is then to capture the essence of a subject and its context through simplified form, distinct color, and select detail. No more, no less, than what is needed to create a cohesive scene and amplify the ‘one thing’.