Collections
In July Storm, I reflect on Bangkok's monsoon season, when smoky gray rainclouds bring torrential downpours almost every day. For students in Bangkok, the academic year runs roughly from May to March, placing July squarely in the heart of the rainy season. In this piece, I reminisce about navigating flooded streets, sitting the commute home in a soaked uniform and waterlogged shoes, and the beliefs surrounding the rain—how it can be welcomed or chased away. Sometimes, it feels as though a bit of luck or Buun protects you from getting drenched on your way to school.
Bangkok Stirs in Soft Gold
Bangkok Stirs in Soft Gold is inspired by a line from a poem written by my husband that captures a longing for home. The three pieces depict memories from my childhood growing up in Bangkok. Some elements of these paintings reflect my family's everyday routines, while others draw from myths and cultural beliefs.
In Gathered Offerings, I portray the Sunday morning market—a scene that is slower than the weekday rush, yet busy in its own way. Weekend mornings were my father's time to care for us, and he made it a tradition to take us to the neighborhood market for breakfast before making offerings to the monks.
Buun was cultivated here through the time my father spent with us and, more explicitly, through the act of offering food to the monks. The cycle of Buun begins with the cooks who prepare the food, continues with those who purchase it to offer to the monks, and extends to the monks themselves, who, sustained by these offerings, continue to teach and share the principles of Buddhism.
Acrylic on canvas, 22"x28"
gathered Offerings
Acrylic on canvas, 22"x28"
The Commute (5:30am)
Acrylic on canvas, 22"x28"
July Storm
The Commute (5:30 AM) depicts my family's daily journey to school. Living in a city as large as Bangkok meant there were many schools to choose from. My parents enrolled my brother and me in one with a strong English curriculum, even though it required nearly two hours of driving each way.
This piece reflects those early morning commutes, when we left home before sunrise and often ate breakfast in the car—a memory represented by the dining tables on the road. We spent so much of our childhood in that car, and for years my parents made the same journey without complaint.
Here, Buun is found in the quiet sacrifices my parents—and so many other parents—made to give their children greater educational opportunities.
Pond Lives
Acrylic on canvas, 24"x30"
Pond Lives
Buun Maa
Acrylic on canvas, 20"x20"