My art made with pressed tea leaves reveals stories of women in my life, along with memories of our shared connections. During the summer in 2025, I saved teabags and leaves after each cup of tea, pressing the leaves onto watercolor paper overnight to produce imprints. Once the paper dried, I spent time observing the marks—finding shapes, people, and landscapes through free association. When something emerged from the abstract impressions, I developed the image further using colored pencils, watercolor, collage, and printmaking techniques. Sometimes I painted with the leftover tea itself or created prints inspired by tea-based sketches.

Gradually, stories of women in my life surfaced through this process. By sharing their experiences of loss, violence, oppression, and joy, these women taught me resilience—the ability to withstand adversity and to recover with strength and grace.

To emphasize that artmaking can be accessible to anyone, I intentionally used materials commonly found at home: tea, plant leaves, paper napkins, snack boxes, juice packs, spoons, and more. By visualizing the connection between domestic environments and creative expression, I hope this collection will nurture creative spirits in people and make artmaking more approachable.

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