My work is a balance between formal and pictorial elements and the depiction of narratives that combine memory, imagination, allegory, authenticity and truth. The theme and imagery of my current series evolved from the preceding set of paintings entitled A Brief History of Bears, wherein the ancient character of the itinerant entertainer played a central role. Appearing in human and animal form, the itinerant entertainer represented immigrants and refugees and, more broadly, the relationship between civilization and the natural order. The paintings in A Brief History of Bears were imbued with a sense of whimsy, owing to their circus-like imagery and decorative treatment of form, while they simultaneously expressed feelings of tension or sadness through the precarious actions and anxious poses of the figures. While my new paintings share elements of imagination and allegory with my earlier work, the new works incorporate historical and cultural references that directly relate to the incarceration of Japanese Americans during World War II and traditional Japanese demons (yokai and oni) originating from Buddhist folklore. As a response to the existing socio-political situation of our world, the tone in my latest work is more explicitly dark.
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