As a highly motivated individual with a natural curiosity for learning and exploring ideas, I passionately use traditional art mediums, softwares and computer technologies as creative tools to express my artistic talents, enhance my technical skills, and bring creative ideas come to life. Additionally, my broad interests in our world and my curiosity in people enhances my abilities to engage, communicate and relate. These strengths are the foundation for my continued growth as a creative professional.
My proficiency in Adobe Lightroom and Photoshop CC expand beyond photography, photo retouching and master printing into digital drawing and painting. My constant drive to understand new information and expand my knowledge base has enabled me to develop a diverse creative portfolio as I continue to learn and further develop my skills using softwares such as Final Cut Pro, Blender, and Unity.
My love for the arts began at the age of nine when I participated in an after-school arts program in the Khlong Toey slum. My drawing was transformed into postcards, marking the start of my artistic journey. A year later after relocating to the United States of America, I continued to develop my creative visual language and adapt to my new life.
The shift and contrast in cultural and economic differences between the slum and my new home served to further enrich my perspective and deepen my appreciation for the opportunities and good fortune in my life. My imagination is limitless, and my color palette is boundless, reflecting my endless curiosity and fascination with the world and universe. My interests are diverse and ever-growing, driven by my insatiable thirst for knowledge and exploration.
I picked up oil painting, lacrosse, and photography during high school when my dad gave me his oil painting set, college lacrosse stick, and his Pentax K1000 from his MIT days. With his intellectual support and philosophical upbringing I learned early to follow my passion no matter the struggle. With my mom’s discipline towards perfection and her amazing Thai food I was well-nourished. Her influence taught me to be meticulous in all of my pursuits, including cooking, as I often assisted her as a prep cook. And, although I excelled as an MVP lacrosse captain and elevated my team to the playoffs I settled back into my love of art.
OP D.A.S.
Photography
With more than 20 years of experience in the photography industry, I have developed a diverse skill set that includes work as a photographer, photo retoucher, and master printer. My primary focus as a freelance photo retoucher primarily focuses on fashion, beauty, editorial and lifestyle images, with numerous published photos in my portfolio. Additionally, my knowledge in traditional films and digital camera equipment and image processes extends beyond these subjects.
I was invited to join Meera Fox’s team as a photo editor and consultant at New York and Paris Fashion Weeks in late 2019 and early 2020, right before Covid shutdowns. It was a fast-pace environment, editing thousands of photos per show into the early hours every morning to get them ready for upload to Getty Images. Despite the challenges, I found the experience fun and rewarding, especially when I got to shoot in the photographer’s pit. With my technical expertise and team collaboration, I was able to produce professional runway images with limited camera gear, even without prior experience. You can find examples of my work in the photography section.
Before my freelance work, I spent more than five years as the primary photo retoucher and master printer for Looking Glass Photographic Arts, Inc., where I managed the entire workflow, from communicating with clients and taking orders to fulfilling their needs with a 99% satisfaction rate on over 5000 logged orders. During this time, I also worked as a professional sales associate for the company for over 19 years, which provided me with extensive knowledge of traditional films and digital photographic equipment and image processes, even before the digital age. Through this work, I had the opportunity to meet major brand representatives from Nikon, Canon, Fuji, Sony, Olympus, and many more, to support and showcase their special release events and annual seasonal holiday sales. This experience was invaluable to me, and this family-owned business will always hold a special place in my heart.
My love of photographs started when I browsed through beautiful and inspiring images in the National Geographic magazines. I was particularly struck by war and wildlife photographs, but more importantly learning about the world we live. It helped me to reflect on my own social, economical, and cultural standing, and although it saddens me to know how unjust the world can be, history has shown how the world has grown to be more inclusive despite the constant challenge of bad actors. I was inspired to learn photography and document my own life because I had no childhood images from the slum, and I know I have at least one good story to tell, even if I am my only audience.
I believe every captured image is a window into our personal history that showcase our own perspective in which we carry and present ourselves. With the fast progression of technology, use of artificial intelligence in image enhancement and manipulation, along with growing social platforms with billions of images circulating worldwide each day, I wonder how this fast pace world will impact and shape the generations to come in their social behaviors and the influences it will have over their lives.
Fine Art & Oil Paintings
In my twenties, I had the opportunity to showcase my oil paintings to the director of the SFMOMA Artists Gallery, Marian Parmenter, through the introduction of Cynda Valle. This resulted in the sale of my paintings and marked a productive and intense period in my life where I devoted most of my time to painting and mastering my craft. My sole focus was to live and breathe painting when I wasn't working to make ends meet. Additionally, I was accepted to the prestigious Rhode Island School of Design in 2005, which was a proud achievement for me. Though I was unable to attend due to personal circumstances, I continued to immerse myself in painting and art, constantly working to refine my techniques.
As an artist, I create abstract landscapes that reflect my personal journey into the depths of my consciousness and subconscious with bold color, shapes, and smooth blending techniques. I strive to be mindful and self-aware of my body, thoughts and emotions in each moment that I paint. Through consistent effort and practice, I have become more conscious and awake to my own physical, mental, and emotional state, allowing my brush strokes to flow across the canvas with ease. This has also given me greater clarity in my life and helped me find balance. My goal is to be awake, aware, and to strive to be a good person to others and myself.
I am inspired by many great artists such as Wassily Kandinsky, Monet, Picasso, Dali, Rembrandt, Vermeer, Van Gough and in general artists that show true craftsmanship in their technical abilities. Music is also of great inspiration. I often listened to a diverse range of musical genres, including early jazz by artists like John Coltrane, Charlie Parker, Nina Simone, and Louie Armstrong, classical and opera music, 90s grunge, and the works of Bjork, Portishead, and Nirvana. If I wasn’t listening to music I would have The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, Frontline PBS, National Geographic, and various documentaries and shows playing in the background as I painted. And when I wasn’t painting I would be out exploring the world, visiting art galleries, and museums, and always with a camera on hand to document my adventures.
In Search Of The Miraculous
I’ve lived a very fortunate and creative life, and I’m truly grateful for the love and support of my friends, family, and patreons. I’m not afraid to open up to people, to speak up my mind when I think it’s relevant, and to question the world that surrounds me with a sincere desire to learn, and be a positive impact on the people I meet. A simple acknowledgment of other human beings with a smile goes a long way, and we are all here on earth to find meaningful connections.
Despite the challenges we all go through in life, we have to remember that the chance of us being alive in our known universe is unfathomable. It’s nice to have a great career, to have money and own a home, but true happiness doesn’t come in the form of tangible wealth or fame, but in the joy we receive through positive reinforcement of ones own existence, whether it be of good or bad influences.
The battle of good and evil has always played major roles in our recorded history. We depict this tale over and over again in hero vs villain movies with different masks, or historical records of greed for land and tangible assets, despite cruelty and human casualty, to conquer those less fortunate. Wars are against political, cultural, and religious differences, all stemming from hatred and differences of ideas.
I am simply asking we consider the deeper meaning and purpose of our lives, our humanity, and our existence in the universe. We live in a complex world with many variables between borders disconnecting us, but we all live under the same heavenly sky. If all it takes is a few bad actors in the wrong seats to destroy most of humanity, with age being a factor in how long we get to live, I have chosen to live a good honest life to the best of my abilities.
How Their Love Changed My Life
Long story short. In 1983 my Jewish dad (stepfather) and Thai mom met briefly on a long bus ride going from Bangkok capitol to northern Chiang Mai city in Thailand. When they arrived at their destination my dad goes to pick up his bag thinking he’d go talk to my mom afterward. By the time he turned around she was already gone.
Oddly enough, a week later back in Bangkok, mind you this is a heavily dense metropolis, while he was out taking a walk my mom happens to see him. What are the chances of that happening! Three years later with my grandparents blessing Ken and Sunee got married. To this day their love has crystalized and they are forever inseparable.
In August 1988, my parents, three sisters, and I landed at San Francisco airport for the first time, together. To this day I vividly recall the moment we pulled into our driveway and I saw two large redwood trees for the first time, standing next to our beautiful new home.