Tram Colwin Studio

30 years ago today my family arrived at our new home here in America. Bentonville, Arkansas, to be exact.
Over the past couple of months, there have been a few dates on my mind.
The first was April 30th, marking the 51st anniversary of the fall of Saigon. A moment in history that led to the displacement of an estimated 11.7 million people, including my own family, even though our displacement came 14 years after 1975.
It makes me think about how moments in history set off chains of events that ripple far beyond what we can witness in our own lifetimes.
The third date I’ve been pondering is July 4th, this year will mark 250 years of America’s independence. As we move toward that milestone, I think about the progress we’ve made, as well as the steps backward. I think about what the next 250 years will say about us.
I think about my own actions and influence, and how they might affect my community and this country. I don’t take lightly the privilege, nor the rights, I’ve been given to play a part in it.
It’s quite astounding to me how these dates, though decades and centuries apart, have all played a role in where I am today. They are part of the world’s history, but they are also part of my history.
If you’ve read this far, thank you for reading my musings. And if you share the same privilege I do, whether you were born into it or worked hard to earn it, I hope we can agree never to disenfranchise another person’s path to those same rights.

Also, who remembers 4th of July celebrations at Lake Atalanta?

A peek into my process plus photos I never got around to sharing. 😅

I think the cool thing about the creative process is that it’s completely unique to every individual. Sure, there’s a steps to follow or perhaps some “best practices”, but ultimately you learn the rules and make it your own.

In this piece I used masking fluid and lots of layer building. I enjoy painting in sections and working one subject at a time.

- Brushes: Princeton “Neptune” Quill, Princeton “Velvetouch” Round 8 & 6, Simply Simmons Round 2.
- Watercolor Paints: Holbein and Daniel Smith
- Masking Fluid: Fineline Masking Fluid Pen “Supernib Fine Tip)
- Gouache: Holbein

I love seeing pink primrose popping up, especially when they’re accompanied by wild ranunculus. 🌸

I featured this flower in my “She is Kindness” painting back in 2024 for the ’ “Feminine Nature” show. I was drawn to them not only because they’re native to the Ozark region, but also for their symbolism of gentleness and tender love.

These little clusters of pink bring so much cheer to my commute. 😊
(And no, I did not pull off the road to capture this video, because that’s dangerous. I parked and walked along a sidewalk like a responsible human 🤪)

Spring is here in NWA and I LOVE IT!!

“Dahlia” by yours truly, circa 2011

I’ve got acrylics and close-up florals on my mind. I’ve been dreaming of translating this theme into watercolor, but thinking about all that color mixing and blending has me 😳😅

Should I try it?

Hey friends, I’ll be deinstalling What We Carry next Thursday, so if you haven’t had a chance to see it yet, be sure to stop by the soon!

It’s been such a joy to share this collection, and I hope you have enjoyed it and have connected with it in some way.

📸

My cup overflows.

It’s hard to fully describe the deep gratitude I feel after last night’s event and the community that showed up.
It meant so much to see so many familiar faces:
, my elementary and high school art teacher.
, who I first shared this project with when it was just at the beginning.
Demara Titzer and Jackie Krutsch, President and Treasurer of The Arkansas State Committee of the National Museum of Women in the Arts.
Friends I met through the Human Library event and Visual Art Night at ( and ).
So many people who have witnessed different stages of my life, both as a person and as an artist.
I feel so supported, and that is a powerful thing!

So much gratitude to the team at for being such amazing collaborators. You made this night and this exhibit possible.
And to my panelists: , ._l, , and Mugisha — thank you for being there and for bravely sharing your stories.
Thank you, and

I’m incredibly excited to share that What We Carry is coming back to Northwest Arkansas this March.

From March 3rd –April 6th, this exhibition highlighting refugee and immigrant stories will be on view at the . It’s truly an honor to share these pieces again and to partner with BPL.

We’ll be hosting an art reception on Tuesday, March 10 at 5:30 PM, followed by a panel discussion with a few of my project participants and . I hope you’ll join us for this special evening.

P.S. My family resettled straight from Vietnam to Bentonville, AR—so getting to share my work, especially these pieces, with this community feels especially tender and full-circle for me. 🥹

💙 Reflecting on previous works I never shared and how I gravitated to the color blue over the past years. But also on this quote from John F. Kennedy that Charlie shared with me the other day.
We had been talking about artists creating work in this moment in time.

“The artist, however faithful to his personal vision of reality, becomes the last champion of the individual mind and sensibility against an intrusive society and an officious state. The great artist is thus a solitary figure. He has, as Frost said, a lover’s quarrel with the world. In pursuing his perceptions of reality, he must often sail against the currents of his time. This is not a popular role. If Robert Frost was much honored in his lifetime, it was because a good many preferred to ignore his darker truths. Yet in retrospect, we see how the artist’s fidelity has strengthened the fibre of our national life.
If sometimes our great artists have been the most critical of our society, it is because their sensitivity and their concern for justice, which must motivate any true artist, makes him aware that our Nation falls short of its highest potential. I see little of more importance to the future of our country and our civilization than full recognition of the place of the artist.
If art is to nourish the roots of our culture, society must set the artist free to follow his vision wherever it takes him. We must never forget that art is not a form of propaganda; it is a form of truth.”
President John F. Kennedy: Remarks at Amherst College, October 26, 1963