I am a story teller. Through my art, I share the journey of motherhood, being an immigrant and being a woman.
● Why art?
In my early teens, I had an amazing art teacher who introduced me to art. She didn’t ‘teach’ me art in the traditional sense, but instead showed me how to express myself through art. Ever since then, I knew art was something I needed to be part of my life.
● How has being an immigrant influenced your art?
Being an immigrant is a topic I often address in my paintings in terms of the struggles, challenges, and constant balancing act between my native and adopted cultures.
● What process do you go through mentally when you are creating a piece?
I very rarely begin with a fixed idea in mind if what I want to do. Usually I have been wanting to work with a technique or image that has inhabited my mind. I work very intuitively, and let the painting take me on its own journey to discover what it wants to be as a piece.
● How has your practice changed over time?
My practice has changed over time as my life has changed over the years. When my kids came into the picture, my work became smaller and more portable so that I could work while I was was supervising them at various activities.
Now as my kids are older and in full-time school, the time I am able to give to my art practice has greatly increased. I have been able to give my art a lot more space to grow, physically in terms of the scale of paintings, but also mentally in terms of how much room it occupies in my life.
● What kind of artwork do you do?
I am a story teller. Through my mixed media paintings, I share the journey of motherhood, being an immigrant and being a woman. My work is highly influenced by my background, and brings elements of my culture into each painting.
● What is the biggest challenge of being an artist?
Art can be lonely and frustrating. An artist sits in a room all day alone with their thoughts. Artist blocks are real, and financially things can be up and down! This is why I feel it is crucial to find a good artist community that understands the struggles, and is right there with you.
● What is the biggest mistake you have made within your career to this point?
I really don’t look at life like that. There are many things I could have chosen to do differently, and I am sure I would be in a different place in my career had I done so. But I believe I am exactly where I am meant to be in my career.
PAST ARTWORK
