Bio

A lone-wolf. A rebel with a cause, painter, sculptor, artivist, mother and lover of all arts.

Born in Hiroshima, Japan, raised in San Francisco, CA. Urban Envy's work, mostly portrait paintings, has been categorized as "Cultural Pop-Art."  Her works have traces of her political beliefs and her own cultural bridges.

As a child living in Japan, she was mesmerized by the classics, renaissance and academic paintings of Europe.  She instantly fell in love with drawing and painting.  As a teen living in California, she was deeply moved by the counterculture significance of American rock, punk and hip-hop music.  These genres left a lasting impression on Urban Envy.  Her love of music nurtured her need to express herself through art and allowed her to appreciate others who also felt compelled to be alone but honest, explosive, expressive, and creative at the sametime.  

In 1999 she founded AlterAsian: an alternative Asian-American web magazine which in 2000 was chosen as one of "Top 20 Asian-American Websites that Stand Out From the Crowd" by A-magazine: Inside Asian-America. It was considered one of the first alternative Asian-Ameircan sites. 

In 2000 she founded Urban Envy, Design: which specializes in artist, non-profit, and small business internet and graphic design solutions. 

In 2003, she was one of the original members of The Federation of East Village Artists (FEVA) in New York City. FEVA promotes opportunities for artists today while honoring the work of legendary community members by working collectively with local artists, arts organizations, business owners, community groups, and the public. Their signature activity is the annual HOWL! Festival of the East Village Arts, which celebrates the neighborhood's role as the cradle of counterculture.

In 2005, she co-founded the New York Tributary with 3 other New York City Artists. NY Tributary is an art movement that brings together various artistic disciplines by concentrating on the process and the message of the art work. The NY Tributary also works to bring art to the "mainstream" by their street based performances, activities, and showings.

In 2006, she founded the Project 2020: Suzie Wong which attempts to bring awareness and social change through art. Project: 2020 uses the novel/film character "Suzie Wong" from The World of Suzie Wong as a symbolism of historical and current racism and discrimination against Asian women in the western world and attempts to change the image of Asian women within mainstream America.

Today, Urban Envy continues to be an activist/visual artist residing in San Francisco, CA.

Urban Envy's works can be seen in local galleries and she has over the years fulfilled various private commissions.