My alder mural commission at Herban Wellness, January 2025
Photo by Noah Dassel

When I was eight, I came across Edward Hopper’s painting Early Sunday Morning. As I took in the long shadows, and buttery morning light, I felt an inner calm wash over me. I remember thinking art had the power to move people and I wanted to learn more.

A decade later, I pursued a B.A. in Interdisciplinary Visual Art at the University of Washington, where I explored sculpture, pastel, mixed media, printmaking, and oil painting. These skills were put to good use when I got accepted into a studio art program in Rome, Italy, during my senior year.

I later earned an M.S.Ed. in Elementary Education and spent 17 years teaching in Waldorf schools, where I merged my love of art with my passion for educating young people. As I balanced motherhood with my career, my art practice slowed, but I trusted I would return to it in time.

IIn 2020, shortly after lockdown, I was diagnosed with breast cancer. Between chemotherapy sessions, I sketched, wove, block printed, and painted. Creating art, supported by the love of my family and community, became a lifeline on my journey back to health.

After treatment, I painted portraits, landscapes, and Japanese comfort food. I block printed themes that spoke to my heritage: daruma, matcha, tsuru, and dragons. I painted classroom walls with large tree murals. By January of this year, I completed a 230 square foot mural commission for Herban Wellness in Kirkland, Washington. My need for sensory art experience overflowed. I also began teaching art workshops over the summer to help others explore their own creativity. I worked with students from age 9 to 18 and taught adults during retreats and art nights at my home in West Seattle.

These days, when I paint, I reach for red, the color of my strong Serizawa bloodline. I also gravitate toward green, which dominates the Pacific Northwest landscape.

Red and green are complementary colors.

Making art and teaching art are my complements.

I love doing both!

一期一会