portfolio

lumå'la' ham ta'lo gi tano-ta | the return home

acrylic and spondylus beads on canvas. 24x36. 2023.
this piece envisions the future where the sihek, or guam kingfisher, makes its return to guåhan. the sihek is a native bird of guåhan that is extinct in the wild due to the introduction of the invasive brown tree snake. siheks are being bred in captivity across the united states so their population can be built up to return home.

i menhalom mañaina-ta na man la’la’ hit | the knowledge of our ancestors gives us life

acrylic on canvas. 18x24. 2023.
this piece portrays the passing of ancestral knowledge across generations and CHamoru matriarchy.

i hinanao-ta | our journey

acrylic on canvas. 24x36. 2023.
a community mural I had the honor of facilitating at vale ni yaloyalo film festival. this piece is inspired by stained glass and how small pieces come together to create something beautiful.

masakåda | my anger is sacred

acrylic, spondylus beads, and woven pandanus leaves on canvas. 22x28. 2023.
a reclamation of the "savage native woman" and a celebration of ancestral rage that has sustained our people.

si sirena

acrylic and pandanus on canvas. 24x30. 2021.
this piece is inspired by the chamoru legend of sirena, who was a girl who turned into half human and half fish because of her mother's frustration with her immaturity.

manggagaige ha' ham guini | we're still here

acrylic, magazine clippings, and spondylus shell on canvas. 24x30. 2021.

a piece that I created as a final project for my historical trauma class. click here for detailed explanation.

goggue i cho'cho' | protect the coral

acrylic on canvas. 8x10. 2021.

the ocean calling her people to fight against climate change. a collaboration with angela francisco paet, owner of hinengge.com.

i hånom yo’åmte | healing waters

acrylic, spondylus, and cowrie shells on canvas. 18x24. 2021.
a piece reflecting on the importance of tears in healing.

i kåten kulo’ | the call of the conch

acrylic and seashells on canvas. 20x24. 2021.
a piece reflecting on the lessons I've learned about how to be vulnerable and call onto others (and myself) for support and love after a difficult year.

famalao'an tamuning | women of tamuning

acrylic, spondylus, and pandanus on canvas. 14x18. 2020.
a piece to honor the matriarchs in my family that I never got to meet, specifically my nåna (grandma) and great grandmas. a biha (elder woman) braids a young woman's hair at my family's land in tamuning.

nothing more to give

acrylic on canvas. 16x20. 2020.
self portrait; a reflection on learning when to stay invested and when to allow myself to become uprooted like a banana tree in a storm

na’lå’la | growing through it

acrylic on canvas. 11x14. 2020.

self portrait; an ode to vulnerability and growth

decolonial sisterhood

acrylic on canvas. 18x24. 2020.
a piece inspired by the chamoru legend of the women who braided their hair together into a net to save guåhan from a giant parrotfish

lina’la’ i hånom | water is life

commission for sound transit. acrylic on canvas. 5x10ft. 2020.
women are sacred. our ocean is sacred. our ways of knowing and navigation are sacred. the life and culture we create is sacred.

fanhasso | remember to remember

acrylic & spondylus shell on canvas. 18x24. 2020.
self portrait; a reminder to myself of who I am, who I come from, my powerful feminine energy, and the knowledge of my ancestors