I was born in Cambodia in 1979 during a civil war and the atrocities of the Khmer Rouge, my name, literally means ‘Running Diamond’. I was 6 when my family fled as refugees to Australia in 1985 and my first memory of Australia was enjoying the sweetness of red jelly and ice cream! We settled in Perth and my parents worked hard to deserve the gift of freedom that they found in their new country. I was schooled at Highgate PS and then Sacred Heart PS. I found from a young age that I told my stories best in pictures, and my talents were nurtured by my teachers. By the time I graduated John Forrest Senior High School in 1996 I had began to train myself almost daily in painting and drawing and discover their potential as expressive, creative mediums. I received the Bayswater Community Arts Award in 1997 and sold my first artwork in my first group exhibition at Ellis House in Perth, aptly titled ‘Various Insomniacs’.
By 2001 I had completed a Bachelor of Visual Arts at the University of South Australia after transferring from Edith Cowan University majoring in Painting and with a minor in Print Making. In 2003 I completed a Diploma of Education (Specialisation) at the University of South Australia and was soon teaching at various locations in Adelaide. During this time I connected with arts organisations like Studio Kaos and Carclew Youth Arts as an artist and team leader on two CitySites projects.
After a stint up north at Port Augusta Middle School, my family (which now included my wife, my 2 year old daughter and one on the way) headed down to the culturally rich and much cooler surroundings of Penola nestled in the heart of the Coonawara. I taught at Penola High School as a Visual Arts Teacher for the next three years. During this time I developed close artistic links with the arts community within the Coonawara and surrounding districts. My own personal journey within my arts practice blossomed with the inspiration of next door neighbours like Guy Detot – an award winning sculptor. In 1996 I worked with the community on the Penola Community Pool mural and in 2007 I won the John Shaw Neilson Memorial Acquisition Award.
In 2007 my wife and I separated and painting became a powerful catalyst for healing and hope. Using the burgeoning networking tools as MySpace and Facebook I found an amazingly receptive art audience on the online web and have since used it as a powerful tool to connect with other artists and importantly, art buyers and art collectors. In 2008 I returned to my home city of Perth with my children and settled once again in Perth. I immediately sought out the arts community and have begun consolidating a practice here.
Today I continue to nurture the talents of high school students as a Visual Arts Teacher at Cyril Jackson Senior Campus, just as I was nurtured. I’m also discovering the importance of Art as a tool to reach students with emotional and behavioural issues. My art is a continual exploration and a dialogue between the things I want to express in my heart and the skills I require to tell those stories properly.
Bio
I was born in Cambodia in 1979 during a civil war and the atrocities of the Khmer Rouge, my name, literally means ‘Running Diamond’. I was 6 when my family fled as refugees to Australia in 1985 and my first memory of Australia was enjoying the sweetness of red jelly and ice cream! We settled in Perth and my parents worked hard to deserve the gift of freedom that they found in their new country. I was schooled at Highgate PS and then Sacred Heart PS. I found from a young age that I told my stories best in pictures, and my talents were nurtured by my teachers. By the time I graduated John Forrest Senior High School in 1996 I had began to train myself almost daily in painting and drawing and discover their potential as expressive, creative mediums. I received the Bayswater Community Arts Award in 1997 and sold my first artwork in my first group exhibition at Ellis House in Perth, aptly titled ‘Various Insomniacs’.
By 2001 I had completed a Bachelor of Visual Arts at the University of South Australia after transferring from Edith Cowan University majoring in Painting and with a minor in Print Making. In 2003 I completed a Diploma of Education (Specialisation) at the University of South Australia and was soon teaching at various locations in Adelaide. During this time I connected with arts organisations like Studio Kaos and Carclew Youth Arts as an artist and team leader on two CitySites projects.
After a stint up north at Port Augusta Middle School, my family (which now included my wife, my 2 year old daughter and one on the way) headed down to the culturally rich and much cooler surroundings of Penola nestled in the heart of the Coonawara. I taught at Penola High School as a Visual Arts Teacher for the next three years. During this time I developed close artistic links with the arts community within the Coonawara and surrounding districts. My own personal journey within my arts practice blossomed with the inspiration of next door neighbours like Guy Detot – an award winning sculptor. In 1996 I worked with the community on the Penola Community Pool mural and in 2007 I won the John Shaw Neilson Memorial Acquisition Award.
In 2007 my wife and I separated and painting became a powerful catalyst for healing and hope. Using the burgeoning networking tools as MySpace and Facebook I found an amazingly receptive art audience on the online web and have since used it as a powerful tool to connect with other artists and importantly, art buyers and art collectors. In 2008 I returned to my home city of Perth with my children and settled once again in Perth. I immediately sought out the arts community and have begun consolidating a practice here.
Today I continue to nurture the talents of high school students as a Visual Arts Teacher at Cyril Jackson Senior Campus, just as I was nurtured. I’m also discovering the importance of Art as a tool to reach students with emotional and behavioural issues. My art is a continual exploration and a dialogue between the things I want to express in my heart and the skills I require to tell those stories properly.