BETEL NUT WOMAN
(Vietnam)

Oil on Canvas - 40" x 32"

 

I met this intriquing woman at a public market near Haiphong in northern Vietnam while on a trip to Hanoi in December in the mid-90’s. Her teeth are stained from the betel nuts she chews, and her smile reveals her heart and openness. Perhaps it was the garment covering her head which almost mirrored the discoloration of her teeth that stuck in my memory, and which followed me back to my studio and onto the canvas.