Pink House w/ lake reflections
8″ x 12″, framed
Church in Brooklyn Heights
9″ x 12″, framed
Trees over path
8.25″ x 10.25″, framed
Blue Rocks (red and neutral buildings)
8.25″ x 9.5″, framed
Relais ODeon
6.75″ x 10.25,” framed
Tree with 2 boats in the background
5″ x 8″, framed
” I’m an actor. And a mom. Which is why in the fall of 2019, I found myself on the set of a TV procedural repeatedly folding hexaflexagons* for my son. I was playing a bioterrorist disguised as a scientist, and was feeling bored and anxious from all the waiting around that is an inevitable part of being a guest star. So I found that folding this little paper toy was not only soothing, but deeply fascinating and satisfying. Cut to a few months later and I am deep into YouTube videos about origami, folding anything the algorithm suggests. And then one day, I folded a lovely flower out of white copy paper, and I wished it had some color, so I grabbed my son’s 1st grade watercolor set and plopped on some pink paint. It was so beautiful, it took my breath away.
So despite no visual art experience, I started to dabble in painting. I read books, watched YouTube videos at half speed and took classes online. Now, six years later, watercolor has become a way in which I often look at the world around me. I stare at the spaces between leaves and find myself trying to puzzle how I would achieve a certain hue or reflection or perspective. I sketch constantly. Airplane layovers and jury duty are dreams come true. Sometimes, knowing that I get a morning to paint uninterrupted for a few hours makes me spring out of bed.
I really didn’t see this coming. My mom is a talented artist and we had her beautifully detailed drawings on our walls growing up. My brother is a wonderful architect and has his name on many big deal things. I love my dad a lot. I guess this is a trend, because I really didn’t see acting coming either. I studied math at UCLA because it seemed practical and I didn’t know you could do something that you love for your job. And then I saw a hot pink flyer for a no-experience-required Asian American acting troupe, and things took a turn.
I never really thought my paintings would get seen by anyone outside of family and friends, but here you are reading this statement. Thanks so much.” – Cindy Cheung
*Hexaflexagons – Look them up! They’re not those fortune teller things. They’re much cooler.