Lonely Night Canvas Print

This is an original oil painting on canvas.
Lonely Night, 18 x 18 inches, unframed, wired on back ready to be hung without a frame

Memories are collective moments, which sometimes remain with us as a shadow, even though they are intangible. Over the past few years, I have been thinking about imperfection and unworthiness. This painting investigates some uneasy or vulnerable moments in my earlier life as a way of returning to some episodes that I want to understand further.

My intention is to convey the unremarkable yet memorable moments that have influenced how I feel and behave today. The process of creating this narrative portraits allows me to see my presence as other viewers, and understand the underlying aspects of myself. The focus is on the psychological response from myself to the environment. The emphasis is not only on expressing my personal voice, but also embracing these memories of solitude and isolation from my earlier life.

The original oil painti...

I was born in Saigon, Vietnam. Being very shy, I spent much of my childhood hiding away upstairs painting, instead of playing with other children. My first brush with success was a Best of Show prize at the 1974 children's exhibition in Saigon sponsored by UNICEF. In 1975 Saigon fell and in the resulting confusion I was separated from my parents. I ended up in a refuge camp near Hong Kong for a year prior to immigrating to the United States as an orphan. After one very snowy and cold winter in Pennsylvania, I went to Los Angeles to stay with some relatives. During my high school years, I earned extra money doing fashion modeling work in the garment district and upon graduation started on the pre-med program in college. During this...