Painting the social and emotional landscape of Asian America.
"an alleged wife" [Quok Shee in the Redwoods], 2025
Oil on recycled canvas
30” x 40”
In 1916, Quok Shee came to the US with her husband and was detained at Angel Island, San Francisco where she fought for the next 20.5 months for her freedom (Chew v. White, Immigration Com'r, 1917). Finally, in 1918 a judge ruled immigration officials had abused their power and withheld important information. Quok Shee was freed.
This portrait, based on a mugshot from her immigration case files, shows a woman trying to maintain her dignity, hair perfectly coiled while imprisoned on Angel Island, just a few miles from the mainland. With tenderness, the painting moves her to the peace and quiet of the redwood forests of Northern California, offering her some respite in cool greens and blues.
Painted on 100% recycled cotton canvas which helps reduce the amount of clothing waste going to landfills and takes 62% less energy to process and weave than traditional cotton canvas.
Part of an ongoing series of speculative portraits recovering stories from Asian American history with outsized relevance to today.
Unframed, one of one. Limited edition prints also available.
The US National Archives holds a treasure trove of immigration case files from during the Chinese Exclusion era, among them a file for the Los Angeles-born actress Anna May Wong (Wong Liu Tsong), considered the first Chinese American Hollywood actress. In 1924, Wong (a US citizen) sought to leave the US to film in Canada, and was required to apply for permission (Application of Alleged American Citizen of the Chinese Race for Preinvestigation of Status), be interviewed, and provide a signed and sworn statement from a white witness (the doctor attending at her birth) to prove her identity and status.
This portrait oil painting of Wong is based on the headshot attached to the application, in which she is elegantly dressed, complete with pearls. In my mind, her expression is complex—amused, ironic, direct, questioning—as it should be, for a birthright citizen to be subjected to such bureaucratic racism.
"alleged American citizen of the Chinese race" (Anna May Wong, 1924), 2025
30” x 30”, oil on ramie fabric
Mahmoud Darwish was a Palestinian poet and author who was regarded as Palestine's national poet. Over his lifetime, he published 30 volumes of poetry and eight books of prose. I wanted to create a portrait series for collectors honoring legacy writers who have been crucial to my own development. For me, Mahmoud Darwish’s work is an important touchstone with lasting impact.
Limited edition 8 in. x 10 in. museum-quality giclée archival digital print on Epson cold press bright 305 gsm textured watercolor paper. Comes signed with a certificate of authenticity.
Frame not included. Ships from Los Angeles, local pick up available.
Other writers in this series: Theresa Hak Kyung Cha and (coming soon) Agha Shahid Ali.
Other print sizes available here in open edition.
I paint portraits that hold marginalized histories in the present tense.
These works consider social-cultural memory and historical forgetting—asking how those who have shaped everyday life are seen, overlooked, or misremembered.
I create images that are cultural records, through which collectors and viewers can commit to the ongoing reshaping of our visibility.
Services
Once reserved only for the wealthy, a one-of-a-kind, hand-painted portrait of yourself or a loved one is the perfect gift! Commission a custom oil painting portrait—hand-painted from your photo by a professional artist. Timeless, personalized artwork for gifts, decor, or legacy.
Options:
16” width x 20” height portrait of one person (head and shoulders) painted from a photograph
24” x 20” portrait of two people (head and shoulders) painted from a photograph
30” x 24” portrait of two people (head and shoulders) painted from a photograph
All portraits are painted on your choice of professional canvas made of recycled fabric or recycled water bottles.
Frames are not included. Price does not include shipping.
Please note, my style is loose and expressive, not photorealistic. See my previous work to decide if this is the right style for you.
Custom Book Design
Transforming text and image into an object of art.
Murals
Hand-painted or digitally designed for indoor or outdoor walls