“Sorry About My Accent”  is my first solo show of 2023, collecting some of my recent works, as well as a few favorites. Of course, the paintings are not literally about my accent. Art is my third language, giving me a way to communicate and express myself beyond using English. It is an artistic voice inflected by my own experience. I immigrated to the United States when I was 19, and this year will be my 19th year living here. Those years are the underpinning of my current art practice, which is focused on the process of creation. I’m fascinated by the research for techniques and tools, and compositional ideas. In life, I also feel the influence of counter forces, that because of attributes like gender, size, and race, some people assume things about my personality and character. Yet, through my work, I can counteract these assumptions. Working large, using tools, and utilizing my body as a motive force, are all elements of my process that I think are integral. I hope viewers will enjoy the pieces, and that they will leave with an appreciation that people, like art, are more than what is on the surface.