Gunita in Tagalog stands for memory or recollection. These series of paintings venture on my tendency to reminisce on memories of my youth. My constant over-analysis of my actions and behaviors as a child, tracing all the way back to the period of my life when I was still living in the Philippines. As if I'm stuck in a loop of perpetual dream paralysis when I overly scrutinize the young girl I used to be; having to shake myself awake and return myself to present time.

Upon moving to America as a child, I felt the need to be even more conscious of the things that I did and what I asked for. Now as an adult, I mourn the childhood I convinced myself I didn't desire. These self-portrait paintings serve as reminders to myself of my innocence before having the urgency to reach womanhood. The materials incorporated in my abstract pieces such as the wax represent the fragility and malleability of youth, while the pearls portray the need to be perceived as a woman. My idea of growth and growing up includes maturity, while in some cases growth comes without maturity. Like the flowers in various levels of water, however much effort I put in myself is how much I will grow. Too little or too much criticism hinders one's prosperity.