My girl took a walk, played and got messy. She is free. Happy Easter!!

She is messy but happy and hopeful. Best feeling in the world. Carefree and relaxed.

Thankful. It’s a good feeling. Take a moment, reflect and be thankful for what you have. You will be amazed at how good it feels. I did.

As an Asian, I have always been taught to not rock the boat, be respectful, maintain harmony, don’t stand out, don’t cause trouble. Work hard and good things will come to you. That said, there has always been a lion in me that when provoked, I forget all about my Asian values. And I fight back instinctively. Sadly, in recent years and months, there have been too many bullying and hatred in the news and social media that I can’t stay silent anymore. Asians being targeted bec of covid. Asian old people being hurt and bullied. And if you think this hatred is just against Asians, think again. It can be any one of us. As long as you are different. You could be a target. And hell we are all different!!! That is what makes the world so wonderful and beautiful! So if you see terrorism, hatred, bullying.. speak up, help, fight back. Doesn’t matter if you are the same “color” as the one being attacked. As long as you are a decent human being. You need to speak up. I strongly believe there is more good in this world than evil. So good people out there. Speak up. Stand up against bullying. Against hatred.

I posted this on my Facebook art groups. And many kind supportive comments flowed in. I really appreciate them. It feels validating. That said, there were a few people who said this was fear mongering by media. Everything is racism these days. This is all done to divide us. Normally my Asian self would ignore and not participate in such comments. But not today. I don’t want to hide and live in a cocoon anymore. It is ok if there are people who disagree. I engaged them in a conversation, seek to understand where they are coming from but also help them understand my side of the movie. I am proud of myself for not hiding. For being brave. For standing up for what I believe. This is not propaganda. This is real. It is scary. It is hatred. We can fight it. Together.

I love the ocean. Not a scuba diver but always fascinated by the treasures that lies beneath the surface. Love playing the the light rays and the different shades of blue.. relaxing… 🌊

My two favorite colors. Sometimes I just want to be in my comfort zone and just be… doing what I enjoy doing the most… painting faces… it feels like home.

I painted this yesterday and really felt vulnerable sharing it. As I thought it was terrible. And I am a terrible landscape painter.

Heard from lots of people on Facebook.. all encouraging and also a good reminder of why I paint and how I should speak to myself.

So I decided to paint again. This time I am just going to enjoy it. And acknowledge that I still have a lot to learn. But I will not apologize for my work or say I am terrible. Practice practice practice…

While I acknowledge I still have lots to improve, I am proud of myself for not giving up. And for being kind to myself.

Are you kind to yourself?

Queen’s Gambit. Love that show and that actress! Can’t stop staring at her face the whole time. Those eyes!!!! She looks almost like an anime character with those large eyes.. so fun to paint…

Finally squeezed some time out to paint. I forgot just how good it feels to just focus on the flow of the ink, the details of the eye, the nose, the lips… so relaxing. Resting my brain… So thankful for art 🙏