Ann Lam-Anh Pham is a visual artist based in Arlington, Virginia, who works mainly in oil and watercolor. Ann’s focus is to expand the collective awareness and understanding of the interconnectedness with each other through the basic emotions we all share, our planet and all beings. Her abstract work is an effort of making sense of things, working through struggles and continuing to gain an understanding of she is and who she is becoming. She believes the inner work is hard work and not visible to the outer world.  Simplicity is not a simple process, and it doesn’t mean simpler.

Her evolution began painting as a child, born in what was then Saigon, Vietnam, at the My Thuat Art House. Her journey continued when her family moved to the United States when she was a teen and persisted all through college and till today. Although awarded an art scholarship in her first two years of college, at her parents’ request to pursue a more ‘practical’ career, Ann majored in business and eventually earned a MBA. Ann continued taking classes after college and became active after moving to the National Capitol Region in 2016.

Artis Story—Essence V Reflection

As I work on different pieces of the collection, I reflect on the path that I’ve been on to discover or rediscover my essence. I think about different bodies I’ve been in, from the shape of an infant, a girl, to a teenager, to an adult, and continue to transform with time. Amidst these transformations, something remains constant within. Working on the Essence V took me back to an event in Saigon, Vietnam. My parents were not rich, but my siblings and I were well-provided for. We participated in many extracurricular activities. Mom would take us to plays, movies and events around the city. We watched a lot of international movies. We would occasionally stop by a noodle shop on our way home after watching a movie. One time, while eating at a small shop by the side of the road in the evening, I couldn’t help but notice a girl about my age, eleven or twelve years old, looking at us eating a few meters away.

Why is she by herself? I asked Mom but couldn’t remember her response. Half of her body was hiding behind the power pole. She wasn’t clean. I occasionally checked on her within my peripheral view while eating with my family. After we got up to leave, I turned around out of curiosity to see if she would move. I saw her went to our table and drank the left-over broth, bowl by bowl. I was confused. I didn’t know how to interpret the incident then, but the image remained. The event took place in the 80s. It somehow resurfaced in recent months as an invitation for connection and calling to be acknowledged. Working on the Essence project allows me to do just that. I connected with my younger self trying to see what that girl was like. I found a piece of me in her. I recognized my curiosity, my concern for others, and my contemplative tendency from a very young age.

I have witnessed many events and processed many experiences through the years. Only now that I give myself more time to reflect on these events that left lasting images through the painting process. It’s like being on an excavation searching for something and not being sure what I will find at the end but the discovery along the way makes life worth living and sharing.