This Painting preserves my Family Story
This elegant Cannas (Bunga Tasbih in Malay) painting tells the story of my childhood, my hometown in Melaka, and my mixed-race marriage.
I photographed this flower in Melaka’s famous Banda Hilir, a popular tourist spot. Melaka is rich in historical sites, earning its reputation as the historical city of Malaysia!
I wanted to create a painting as a beautiful reminder for my children of their parents’ unique family story.
Why? Because stories fade if they’re not recorded.
It never occurred to me that I could preserve our family story through a painting. But as I began offering my painting commission service again, helping customers create their own family stories from treasured mementos, I embarked on my own quest to find a memento that represented my childhood, hometown, and mixed-race marriage.
As a commission portrait artist for over a decade, I took my job seriously. I loved seeing the smiles on my clients’ faces when they saw their finished portraits. Although I no longer offer that service, I now help clients tell their family stories through custom paintings of treasured mementos, focusing on nature’s beauty and still life.
This painting will tell my own family story, and I want it to be special.
Banda Hilir always brings back sweet memories of my childhood with my parents. My late father would bring our family to view the ocean. We’d park under the shade of a tree, enjoy the sea view, eat ice cream or snacks, and have meaningful conversations.
When I brought my husband and our baby to Banda Hilir, it instantly became our favorite spot.
The first five years of our marriage we lived far apart; I was in Malaysia and my husband was in Los Angeles.
Banda Hilir became a special place for us whenever he visited me.
During one visit, I discovered this beautiful flower, although I didn’t know it was called Cannas at the time. I was fascinated and took many pictures.
My first attempt at painting Cannas was during my 100-day painting series, Watercolor Fun. I was searching for many photos to use in my project.
Sitting on the floor, opening the white box with tons of photo albums and old photos from Malaysia, I went through photo after photo, hoping to find something for my series.
When I found this flower photo, I thought, how could I have forgotten these beautiful flowers?
This flower would be perfect for my watercolor series. But as I continued flipping through the album, tears streamed down my cheeks, recalling the years of separation from my husband.
My mixed-race marriage story is unique. For the first five years, my husband and I didn’t live together like a normal couple. We both had commitments (jobs and school) and had to wait for his visa application for me and our baby to enter the US.
I mostly raised our firstborn by myself, but despite the distance, we were close, talking online every day. He was there for my big life events: my bachelor’s degree graduation, the opening of my first solo gallery exhibition (which landed my first newspaper feature), and creating my first marketplace website, which led to me becoming an internationally published artist. However, waiting months for our next meeting was really hard as we missed each other deeply.
I’m so glad I photographed this flower. It not only represents my hometown but also a bittersweet period during the first five years of our marriage.
I had painted Cannas in a small 4×4 inch watercolor format, but this time I decided to create a larger pastel painting.
This painting brings me joy every day, reminding me of my former life in Malaysia. Painting this memento that tells our family story brings me peace.
It symbolizes the strength, hope, and struggle we endured to live together under one roof in the United States.
I hope my children will remember our family story and pass it on to their own families.
FINE ART PRINTS
While the original painting is not for sale, I offer prints of Cannas, in paper and canvas, in multiple sizes.
Cannas Giclee Art Print
- Fine Art Paper Prints
- This option is available in 9” x 12” and 11” x 14”.
- Printed on archival-grade thick, fine art paper, 330gsm, acid-free 100% cotton paper. Hand signed and embossed. Certificate of Authenticity Included. Shipped Flat with backer board. Proudly Made in the USA.
- Canvas Prints and Framed Canvas Prints
- This option is available in 18” x 24”, 30” x 40”, and 36” x 48”.
- This ready to hang canvas print brings the utmost convenience to you – no assembly required. Gorgeous finished look in thick 1.5 quality wood floating frame in gold color. The canvas print is printed on archival-grade, poly-cotton blend canvas using archival ink. Proudly Made in the USA.
from $120
About the Artist
Siti Nuriati Husin is a Malaysian-born American realist painter and the founder of Siti Nuriati Husin Studio. Self-trained as a portrait artist, Siti started her art business in Malaysia as a commissioned portrait artist.
Siti’s Princess Diana’s portraits were published in the UK in a pop art book titled, ‘Diana in Art’. The book featured portraits from over 150 artists from around the world. In addition, Siti and her work have been featured in Malaysia in magazines and in a TV documentary. In the USA, her work has been featured in a Los Angeles local newspaper and various publications, such as the Colored Pencil and Azizah magazines.
In 2008, Siti left portraiture behind after over a decade in the portrait business. Her focus now is painting nature; flowers and still life. She is dedicated to helping others find their inner peace through art.
Visit Siti’s website to find out the available originals, private commissions, and one-on-one art coaching.