Rose’s painting process begins with the establishment of a relationship between two central motifs: basketweaving patterns and abstracted floral forms. Both are rooted in Filipino craft traditions and cultural symbolism. Using acrylic paint, these elements are brought into conversation, with their shapes and colors generating rhythm, tension, and balance across the canvas. The visual language evokes the physical act of weaving—lines interlacing, overlapping, and shifting to create intricate, layered patterns. This motion operates on both visual and conceptual levels, symbolizing the interwoven nature of cultural memory and personal history.
Once the composition is in place, the background is developed through a slow, intuitive process of layering shape, color, and atmosphere. These layers deepen the visual field while subtly mirroring the movement of the foreground. Over time, the initial imagery may become partially or entirely obscured, leaving behind only traces—outlines, shadows, or faint impressions. This intentional act of erasure becomes a form of memory work, creating space for rediscovery and transformation.
The final stage returns focus to the foreground. The floral and basketweaving motifs are retraced and revived, guided by memory and the residual marks left behind. This cycle of concealment, recollection, and reconstruction reflects the artist’s lived experience as an immigrant—a path defined by forgetting, remembering, and reimagining what was once lost.
The resulting work serves as a celebration of memory: of culture, rituals, and the vivid textures of Filipino heritage. Having immigrated to the United States at the age of 12, many of these memories gradually receded into the background. Through painting, they are recovered and reassembled—honoring the surviving fragments and giving form to a cultural inheritance that continues to shape the artist’s evolving identity.