Diana of the Lowlands
"Diana of the Lowlands pays homage to Charles Wellington Furse’s Diana of the Uplands (1903-4). It is to be a contemporary depiction of Diana, goddess of the hunt and the moon, represented by my friend Devon and her two dogs, Grandpa and Blueberry. I do not normally paint the people within my life, but I was feeling unmotivated at the time, and I could not shake the parallels I noticed between her and Diana. I thought I could compel myself to produce something of quality if the subject I chose was someone I really loved and admired. (This strategy worked, I think.) In a nutshell, this painting speaks to how archetypes continuously reinvent themselves to fit into our modern day realities."
Nguyen's illustrative paintings employ a variety of techniques using oil paint and pastel on a canvas surface. Rife with narrative symbols, her dramatic tableaus sing with chaotic tension and humorous undertones. Painted in jewel tones and highlighted by soft-hued pastels, starkly contrasted by bold gestural markings, Nguyen's works are ready to hang framed or unframed.