Bright lounge with blue velvet couch, arm chair and framed print of peacock-like woman on magnolia branch in the background.

Exploring Identity Through Art

My Story
Vietnamese woman with long black hair leaning against an art mural. She wears jeans with a red top and leopard print scarf wrap.

In a world filled with noise...

I take a pause to create

Hi, I’m Hue, an Australian mixed media artist creating original artworks, limited-edition prints and bespoke commissions. My work explores identity, inner strength, emotional awareness and the many seasons of life - the moments that shape us, challenge us and change the way we see ourselves.

I draw inspiration from everything that stirs my soul: photography, movement, stories, nature, colour, beautiful spaces and the contrasts that shape our lives - nature and nurture, love and loss, success and failure, identity and belonging.

Some artworks begin with a portrait and a story I want to build around a person. Others begin more intuitively, with a feeling, a palette, a texture or an atmosphere I want to create. What connects them all is my love of layers and meaning. I want my work to invite admiration, evoke emotion and spark contemplation - while also living beautifully in the spaces it eventually calls home.
Collage of Polaroids showing snippets of an Asian woman’s life. She has long black hair and is smiling.

My Life in Seasons

I see life as unfolding in distinct seasons. In my early years, I was caught in a season of confusion and denial. As a Vietnamese Australian, finding my identity was a real struggle. Arriving in Australia as a four-year-old refugee, I had to balance my Vietnamese heritage with a Western upbringing. For a long time, I wrestled with the fear of judgment and the pressure to fit into one world or the other, without realising that I could have the best of both.

One example is my name, “Hue” (pronounced “Hway” but often mistaken for “Hugh”) - was something I really hated. Why couldn't I have a 'normal' name? It’s a small yet telling example of the insecurities I faced. In high school, I even went by a Western name for a couple of years just to blend in. I was lost, unsure of who I needed to be.

My twenties marked a season of adventure. With determination, I set out to explore the world and to prove my worth to both myself and others. For a decade, I built a career in luxury marketing, working as an expat in Hong Kong and London.

As I entered my thirties, my focus shifted to family and entrepreneurship. This was a season of embracing new roles - becoming a wife, a mother and a business owner. This decade was about welcoming these new identities while also navigating their rewards and challenges.

As I travel through my fourth season, which I see as a time of self-rediscovery, I'm already experiencing its transformative effects. I’m finally appreciating the kindness I’m extending to myself and the fresh perspective I’m gaining on the world around me. Gratitude is my top value. 

Each season is a blessing and over the years, I’ve evolved both personally and professionally, learning to embrace every facet of myself, including my vulnerabilities. I now view these vulnerabilities not as weaknesses but as unique strengths. 

Today, I’m especially thankful to my parents for naming me Hue, which means “lily flower” in Vietnamese. In English, “hue” signifies colours and their many shades, a dual meaning that perfectly reflects who I am. When someone mispronounces my name, I see it as a chance to make a memorable impression. 

For me, Hue represents gratitude for all that I have and the legacy I hope to create through my art. I look forward to embracing the many seasons ahead, and I hope my art continues to inspire and resonate with you.

A Peek Into The Process

I’ve always loved photographing people. There is something magical about using a real-life subject as the heart of an artwork and then building a world around them. Portraiture remains an important part of my practice, particularly in my limited-edition works and private commissions.

But my process is continuing to evolve. Not every artwork begins with a person. Sometimes it begins with colour, texture, movement, nature, a memory or simply a feeling I cannot quite explain in words.

Layer by layer, I use mixed media to give the idea form. I love watercolours for their fluidity, acrylics for their boldness, moulding paste for beautiful chunky texture and gold leaf for a little opulence. I also work with pencils, markers, paper, stitching and other materials when the piece asks for them.

The result might be figurative, abstract or somewhere between the two. What matters most to me is that it carries feeling - that it invites you to pause, look closer and experience the artwork rather than simply observe it.

Vietnamese woman smiles and looks sideways, holding her hands to her chest. She wears a brown leather skirt and cream top against a maroon background.

I am all the things...

A daughter. A sister. 
A Mrs. to my Mr.
I’m a mother of two children;
Their safe place, their warm embrace.
I’m a traveller, an adventurer,
A connoisseur of food and culture.
I’m a lover of nature; inspired by her beauty. 
I’m an addict, caffeine is my drug.
I’m a scared child in a new land;
Grateful for the welcoming hand.
I’m a nervous speaker, striving to present sleeker.
I’m a storyteller, my camera is my pen.
I’m a dreamer, who at times…
Is too scared to dream.
I’m a bowerbird,
Collecting shiny, blingy things.
I’m a constant entrepreneur;
The boss of my own destiny.
I’m a Lily flower, ready to bloom.
I’m a friendly smile from across the room.
I am 'Hue' and I am many things.
But in this space, 
In this place, I am an Artist.
I create from my heart;
Art that elevates me,
Art that celebrates you.

- Hue the Artist -