portfolio

TAI ULU

acrylic and woven pandanus on canvas. 20x24. 2024.
a piece that references a traditional chamoru spiritual practice where the skulls of passed family members were kept in the home for protection (tai ulu = without head). the skull in this painting features teeth stained by pugua (betel nut) and etchings which was a body modification chamorus practiced. the background features pictographs found on the islands of saipan, tinian, luta, and guåhan.

tåta yan i talaya-ña | tåta and his fishing net

acrylic on canvas. 22x28. 2024.
a piece to honor my grandfathers and our land in tamuning where a hotel currently stands.

fåmfok

acrylic on canvas. 22x28. 2024.
a celebration of the weavers and matriarchs who keep our culture alive.

micronesian sisters

gouache and micron pen on watercolor paper. 11x15. 2023.
a piece celebrating micronesian women and sisterhood (and my first time trying gouache)

påkyo | the storm inside

acrylic and coral on canvas. 24x30. 2023.
this piece is a reflection on increasingly frequent and severe typhoons in the pacific due to climate change, and the storm that brews inside of us as Indigenous peoples and stewards of the land and ocean as climate action grows more imperative.

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.

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

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