May this be a reminder to do things that would make your 11-year-old self proud.
I remember it clearly: I was eleven, standing in Sun Gallery, captivated by the original artwork on the walls and the authors and illustrators who stood beside it. I loved drawing and making my own little books, but seeing that level of artistry planted a seed. My mom and I returned every year through middle and high school, and each time she let me choose one book—always the one whose brushstrokes of watercolor, oil pastel, or pencil I had studied the longest.
Here I am at age eleven, with illustrator Yoriko Ito.
34 years later, I had the opportunity to experience this beautiful full-circle moment with my art featured on the walls of Sun Gallery’s Children’s Book Illustrators Exhibit. I am grateful for all the people who helped birth this book into the world, and for my mom who deliberately curated experiences that planted seeds and dreams as a child.
If you can hold it in your heart, you can hold it in your hands.
Sun Gallery’s exhibit featuring my work will run through May 23, 2026, located on 1015 E Street in Hayward, CA.