Deana Nguyen

Born in Washington, I grew up with the influence of seeing the sun rise and fall on ocean fronts. I am also the first generation born here in the United States and grew up very much an immigrant family experience. My father a refugee of Vietnam came to the United States to seek a better life, safe from the fallout of war. In the home and spaces, we often shared, Vietnamese was spoken. I grew up surrounded by many people who also came to this country seeking asylum, opportunity and security. I grew up surrounded by resilience and that influence is a big part of how I perceive the world and people today. Even the most vulnerable are sacred, we are all one humanity.

As long as I can recall I was drawing, on paper, walls, the margins of my schoolwork. By the time I reached high school I encountered my first real drawing and painting class, with an experienced art teacher. She took me under her wing and fanned the flames of my artistic interest.

Through her sharing of encouraging words, fine art skills, history and supplies. I absorbed as much as I possibly could, reveling in the care and acknowledgment I was receiving. Oh yeah, she also had a coffee pot in her class, so my focus was often at super strength.
Through visual art I found ways to observe the world and share my inner realms. It opened pathways of expression I had not previously had access to. Art has been an incredibly powerful tool of healing in my life journey and continues to guide my purpose and calling. I am forever grateful to the public-school systems of the early 2000’s. The programs that were offered through my school allowed me access, opportunity, and the tools to succeed no matter what my conditions. Nowadays most public schools no longer offer art programs. Having access to imaginative programs set me free, in many ways saved my life, and showed me how expansive and wondrous the world can really be and prepared me with the skills to build my world the way I wished it to be.

I have since become a mother. This life change has impacted how I see the world now, every news article I see involving war and people feel more visceral than ever. Growing up in-and-out of foster care and living with abusive caregivers, spending time living in a car with my dad, makes this work personal and vulnerable for me. So, this series presented here is all inspired by personal lived experience, as well as the empathy I feel for those most vulnerable and bearing the worst suffering during these uncertain times.
I dedicate this series of artwork to our planet and the interconnected nature we all have to one another, to the environment we inhabit, to the sentient beings we share this world with. My goal is to encourage folks to slow down and reevaluate love, and what that can look like and feel like. Imagination is key to creating a world worth living in, a world where kindness and compassion are cool and all living beings are considered, protected and respected.

60 percent of profits made from original artwork will be donated to humanitarian aid programs such as UNICEF, Doctor’s without Borders, Nature conservancy, and the ACLU
100 percent of profits made from merchandise such as prints and stickers will be donated to the same organizations.
Total of profits for donation will be split evenly across all the mentioned organization