Thoa Nguyen

At my core, I have always known that I am an artist, art is an essential part of who I am.

I came to the United States in 1975 as an 11-year-old refugee from Vietnam during the fall of Saigon.

I earned my Bachelor of Arts degree at Metropolitan State University of Denver in 1989. Pursuing an art career was not possible at that time because the responsibility to support my family came first. I decided to work in the restaurant industry, which led to my current career as a chef and restauranteur.

I always knew that I would return to art in my later years.

My art is heavily influenced by Impressionism. Subjects are based on real-life scenes, objects, and people. Through my painting, I enjoy injecting an energy and vibrancy to these everyday subjects, while also ensuring the composition is a balanced depiction. I interchange between watercolor and oil mediums because each medium provides different styles and opportunities. The watercolor process is quicker than oil, and helps me to be more spontaneous, while oil is more deliberate, and allows time for reflection and analysis. My use of lines and brush strokes are aggressive to transmit the energy and expression that I want to convey. My paintings depicting the subject as anyone would see it yet omitting the superfluous, and capture just the essentials, arranging them into a more powerful and significant whole. Concentrating on the essentials is where I believe I can be more thoughtful and expressive.