Work

The universe indeed works in funny and mysterious ways. This commission came to me at a time when I was healing from heartbreak and mourning a loved one—paralleling the client’s state.

To find closure, the client requested a custom design to honor his late wife. The design will also be engraved on a tombstone.

Their surname is surrounded by calla lilies, which were his wife’s favorite flowers. The flowers represent purity, faithfulness, and holiness.

I drew five calla lilies to represent the couple and their kids. They are all surrounding the family name with connecting lilies to represent their unbreakable and interconnected bond. There is a circular base shape to the artwork to represent earth and one calla lily reaching for the heavens.

This piece has not only given me the opportunity to help with closure for this family, but for myself. Listening to his story and creating this piece has undoubtedly aided in my healing as well.

In Chinese mythology, dragons traditionally symbolize strong and auspicious power with control over water, rainfall, lightning and thunder. The calligraphy brush strokes represent their power and vigor with the strokes representing their movement in the heavenly skies.

Generally, dragon and phoenix are written/illustrated together to symbolize a fruitful marriage. However, I chose to write them separately to have their beauty and splendor stand on their own.

In Chinese mythology, the phoenix an immortal bird whose rare appearance is said to be an omen foretelling harmony. I've been seeing a lot of phoenix like birds in my visions and hope that they serve as a sign for peace to come. In non-Asian culture, the phoenix signifies transformation, death, and rebirth in its fire. The phoenix is also the ultimate symbol of strength and renewal. The calligraphy brush strokes represent my transformation and power as I renew myself from a recent heartbreak.

The phoenix motif is often used along with dragon motifs. However, I chose to write them separately to exist as independent equals.

心印心 means heart to heart (literal translation means heart prints on the heart). This piece was created for the 2022 edition of the Heart to Heart calendar project. Each month features inspirational quotes in both English and Chinese that are created by local and international artists.

My goal was to create something elegant that connected our hearts together. The thin lines are delicately hand-drawn to represent the threads that connect us.

The calendars are handed out to seniors, recovering substance abusers, and the often forgotten in our Asian community. This project was a labor of love with the goal to uplift others--especially during these challenging years. Calendars are distributed in the Bay Area of California.

Chrysanthemums are a symbol of vitality and longevity as they bloom in the midst of frost as other flowers begin to wither. They symbolize the virtue to withstand all adversity. The chrysanthemum is also one of the four noble gentlemen in Chinese culture.

There's a specific type of chrysanthemum that I used for inspiration for this piece: the lili gallon chrysanthemum. I love these because they have huge blooms where the petals organically flow in all directions. I chose black and white to align with client’s requested neutral color palette and added a red structural component to complement the greenery in client’s home.

The materials used were traditional mulberry fiber paper from Japan with gouache and acrylic paints. The paper choice reflects your Asian heritage and adds a subtle traditional element to the modern piece.

Private commission of a pet portrait incorporating Kazuo’s Japanese name and owner’s surname. Kazuo had just turned 16 years old and the owner wanted a piece to commemorate all the joy and love he’s received from his beloved Shiba inu.

This was my first time creating a pet portrait and I thoroughly enjoyed the process of capturing Kazuo’s gentle spirit in this piece. He is as delicate and patient as the meticulously drawn hair strokes.

A personal gift to celebrate my cousin’s wedding and to welcome my Persian sister. I combined 快樂 (happy in Mandarin) with happy in Farsi. The ending strokes of traditional Chinese characters begin the strokes for Farsi in seamless transition to symbolize their union. The goal was to convey their beautiful relationship and unbreakable bond. Living in the United States has given me the privilege to witness so many wonderful inter-cultural unions and I am so blessed to have my Persian sister in the family.

Private commission incorporating the couple’s respective names in Arabic and Khmer languages. Creating this piece was honor and privilege. Their partnership is an inspiration and model for me to follow in all my relationships–one that is full of love and unconditional support.

Traditional Double Happiness symbol (囍) hand painted on a wooden tray for a wedding tea ceremony. Tea is offered as a sign of respect and peonies were added to represent royalty and virtue. The Double Happiness ligature is composed of 喜喜 – which are two adjacent copies of the Chinese character 喜, which means joy. Commission.

These Lucky Cats are here to wish you good fortune. The character 福 means Lucky and Good Fortune in Mandarin. I was inspired by the waving lucky cat commonly seen at Asian restaurant entrances.

The fish are here to wish you abundance! 魚 means fish and is an important dinner dish. Since Mandarin is a tonal language, homophones play an integral part in our culture. The character for fish sounds like the character for abundance 餘. Therefore, we eat fish to wish everyone abundance during holidays – especially during Lunar New Year.

Rooster for Year of the Rooster

Drawing characters and its meaning together. 龍 means dragon in Mandarin. In Chinese mythology, dragons traditionally symbolize strong and auspicious power with control over water, rainfall, lightning and thunder.

Blending traditional eastern and western meanings for Phoenix (鳳). In Chinese culture, the phoenix is an auspicious creature that symbolizes high virtue, grace, and peace. In western culture, phoenix symbolizes rebirth. In this piece, the virtuous phoenix is breaking free from its confines.

This piece celebrates a couple’s son (born year of the dragon) and daughter (born year of the horse). Auspicious dragon and horse idioms are drawn to resemble a house structure to symbolize the couple creating a home with their children. 馬到成功 is an idiom meaning instant success; mom was pregnant at the time and this idiom was used to encourage a smooth delivery. 龍騰虎躍 is an idiom that means dragons and tigers leaping in prosperous and vigorous fashion. Commission.

We all have our unique journey (路程) between Heaven (天) and Earth (地). I was inspired to create this piece when I finally realized I was free to carve my own path instead of following my family’s footsteps and expectations.

Custom wedding sign with hand-drawn flowers and double happiness symbol. The Double Happiness ligature is composed of 喜喜 – which are two adjacent copies of the Chinese character 喜, which means joy

Logo design commission. I include my original artwork and have my cat Ollie perform quality control.

wedding gift commissioned by the groom for his future in-laws. He wanted to celebrate and honor their marriage and their complimentary personalities to be an inspiration for his new marriage.