Using printmaking, painting, and assemblages of found objects and materials, I depict emotional landscapes shaped by my experiences of daily life. My work tends toward the surreal and symbolic, built up in layers – of figures, shape, color, and material – that resist easy resolution. My recognizable yet abstract images create stories with nuance and depth, insisting that life is never defined by a single color, a single layer, or a single answer.
As a woman of color and a Japanese immigrant, I often find myself misunderstood because of my appearance and the identities I hold. My art practice has been an anchor to remember my true self against others’ narratives about me, and it provides me space to authentically tell stories from my own perspective.
Mountains, bodies of water, and homes appear often in my work. Sometimes particular body parts, especially hands, become the central element. These familiar motifs are purposely flattened and decontextualized in my work by the use of simplified shapes, overlapped lines, and added colors and texture. Different characters visit these abstract scenes: a girl in a swimsuit, fish, and birds. They tell stories of women empowerment, loneliness and belonging, and journeys of personal growth in the face of adversities.
My creative process begins in the personal, but the resulting works often reveal how my stories are situated in larger, societal systems. My art practice lets me know that my struggles over societal oppression, motherhood, and chronic illness management are hardly an isolated incident or something simply personal. In this way, art has been my reliable source of wisdom.
In addition to being an artist, I am a board-certified art therapist and a licensed clinical social worker. I help people learn about themselves through art making. Art therapy is about healing what hurts, cultivating self-awareness, and growing through creative expression. No prior art experience or artistic skill is required for art therapy.
More information about my art therapy & counseling practice can be found here. (日本語のサイトはこちらです)
If you are an art therapist or a social worker interested in clinical supervision, please find more info here.
I am currently an adjunct faculty member in George Mason University’s Master of Social Work program and Lewis & Clark College's Graduate Art Therapy Program. Previously, I taught in the graduate art therapy programs at George Washington University. I regularly present at conferences on the therapeutic use of art as well as topics related to anti-oppressive practice and culturally affirming care. A list of my publications can be found here.
EDUCATION
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Master of Social Work (May 2004) & Advanced Graduate Study Certificate in Art Therapy (August 2015), Marywood University, Scranton, PA
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Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and Art (May 2002), Wartburg College, Waverly, IA
ART-RELATED AWARDS
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Honorable Mention, A New Palette For The Workhouse (2006) , The Lorton Arts Foundation, Reston, VA
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Semi-Finalist, L. Ron Hubbard’s the Illustrator of Future Contest (1999), Nationwide
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Second Prize, Illustration of Books Contest (1998), Mu-Shi Tale Inc., Nationwide
SOLO EXHIBITION
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Remembering to Heal (1/2024 - 2/2024), Vault gallery at the d’Art Center, Norfolk, VA
GROUP EXHIBITION
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The Architecture of care: Visualizing invisible labor in the health humanities (6/2026 - Present), West Virginia University Health Sciences Pylons, Morgantown, WV
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Collective Care: Nourishing and Corss-Pollination in a BIPOC Sisterhood (June 2026 - present), Lewis and Clark College Counseling Center Gallery, Portland, OR
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Am I Welcome? An art exhibition about international students’ experience
Three locations:
Arlington County Central Library (Jan - April 2025)
Busboys and Poets Anacostia, Washington DC (June - Nov, 2024)
George Washington University Graduate Education Center, Alexandria, VA (Feb - May, 2024)
JURIED ART EXHIBITIONS & FESTIVALS
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Women Artists of the DMV (1/2026 - 2/2026), Falls CHurch Arts Gallery, Falls Church, VA
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Faces & Figures (4/2025 - 6/2025), Falls Church Arts Gallery, Falls Church, VA
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Local Makers and Artists Celebrating Women Art Show (3/2025 - 6/2025), Northside Social, Arlington VA
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Beauty of Diversity (10/2024 - 11/ 2024), Falls Church Arts Gallery, Falls Church, VA
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Art in Nature Festival (5/2024), National Botanic Garden in Chantilly, VA
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Intersection: Identity and culture (11/2023 - 1/2024), Falls Church Arts Gallery, Falls Church, VA
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Five Points 2023 printmaking Juried Exhibition (6/2023 - 7/2023), Five Points Arts Center, Torrington, CT
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The Unseen (2/2023 - 3/2023), Del Ray Artisan Gallery, Alexandria, VA
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Collab: Conversations in Art (7/2022 - 8/ 2022), Fall Church Arts Gallery, Falls Church, VA
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Art in Nature Festival (5/2024), National Botanic Garden in Chantilly, VA
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Feminist Insight: Telling Her Story (3/2022), The Ellington-White Contemporary Art Gallery, Fayetteville, NC
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No Justice, No Peace: Global Protest, Unrest, and Conflict (2021), James Wise Gallery, Norfolk State University, Norfolk, VA
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20/20 in Hindsight--Coping, Confronting, and Creating Change (2021), Online exhibition, Loyola Marymount University, Los Angeles, CA
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Your Place at The Table (2020), 311 Gallery, Raleigh, NC
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Facing Forward (Oct, 2020 – Jan, 2021), Light Art Space, Silver City, NM
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Divulge: A National Exhibition Featuring the Use of Art for Therapy and Mental Health Awareness (2020), d’Art Center, Norfolk, VA
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When Darkness Falls: Night Exploration (2019), Annmarie Sculpture Garden and Arts Center, Solomons Island, MD
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A New Palette For The Workhouse (2006), The Lorton Arts Foundation, Reston, VA
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Insight & Inspiration: The Fine Arts Healers (2002), The Center For Being And Becoming, Washington, D.C.
ART PROJECTS & INSTALLATIONS
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Together Through Art – Calendar project to advocate for mental illness and older adults (2012), Arlington County RAFT program, Arlington, VA
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Creativity Within Us – Calendar project with hospice patients’ artworks (2004), VNA Hospice, Scranton, PA
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Tree of Life mural project (2004), Moses Taylor Hospital Inpatient Hospice Floor, Scranton, PA