relief & intaglio prints

Select intaglio copper and relief carved edition prints in linocut, woodcut and mokuhanga. 

In the studio

GUM MOON GIRLS //  A tribute to my great-grandmother


4-COLOR PLATE ETCHING WITH AQUATINT


In 2018, My cousin, Jeffrey L. Staley published a special book titled "Gum Moon" This historical fiction novel of San Francisco Chinatown was based upon events about our Chinese American family history - The coming of age story of my great-grandmother, Maud Lai Don, a woman I only met briefly when I was born. 

Maud, my "Tai-Po" was one of many "Gum Moon" orphan girls who was rescued by the Asian Women's Residence Center home in San Francisco Chinatown in 1898. Gum Moon (Cantonese for "Gold Door" or "Golden Gate" was a remarkable home to many young immigrant Asian girls who were saved from a life of debt slavery, violence, and sexual abuse in San Francisco during the late 1800's to early 1900's. 

Her story is a unique one, and is something our family is very moved by. We only recently learned about what happened to Maud and the mysterious circumstances of her young life thanks to Jeffrey's incredible dedication and research on this subject. It's not an easy read, but one which makes us take pause to consider the struggles and injustices our ancestors lived through, and the impact this has on our lives today.

I met Jeffrey face to face for the first time in Berkeley while on his Bay Area book tour for "Gum Moon." Myself being a direct living descendant of Maud's, I felt inspired to create this four-color plate etching as a personal tribute while I was completing my certificate in Printmaking Arts at Diablo Valley College in 2019. This etching is based on one of the only known photographed postcards we have of Maud in traditional Chinese attire taken in 1902. In the image, Maud is the young girl who stands on the left, and another young orphan named Josephine stands on the right. 

Gum Moon Women's Residence Center still stands today in the heart of San Francisco's Chinatown. Since 1868, this incredible non-profit has provided services and housing to underserved women and children from the AAPI community helping them build better futures for themselves. 

Read more about Gum Moon Women's Residence Center, San Francisco HERE

Information about the book Gum Moon HERE

Fountaingrove Tribute

FOUNTAINGROVE  //  In memory of the Tubbs Fire


FOUR- BLOCK MULTI-COLOR WOODCUT 


Built in 1875, the Fountaingrove Round Barn was a historic landmark structure that sat on a prominent hillside in Santa Rosa for over 140 years but was destroyed in the Tubbs fire on October 9th, 2017. The wildfire was one of the most destructive in California history, devastating parts of Napa, Sonoma, and Lake counties throughout October.

“Tribute” is a four-block, multi-color woodcut print created from a photograph I took only days before the fire occurred while on a nature walk through the hills of Fountaingrove. The creation of this piece is in dedication to my hometown community of Santa Rosa, where I have lived throughout my life. The flock of forty-four birds carved into the northern sky represents the memory of the residents who lost their lives in the North Bay fires that year.  

ADDITIONAL WORK

MONOTYPES
SELECTED WORKS
WORDS
SELECTED WORKS
BOTANICALS
SELECTED WORKS
MONOTYPES
SELECTED WORKS
WORDS
SELECTED WORKS
BOTANICALS
SELECTED WORKS
MONOTYPES
SELECTED WORKS
WORDS
SELECTED WORKS
BOTANICALS
SELECTED WORKS

Using Format