Painting
Isabel Lauren Loewe
Nov 4, 2025
Emon Surakitkoson
Born in Thailand and based in Baltimore, Emon is known for her grayscale abstract work that marries architectural precision with raw emotional force. Her palette is stripped down: black, white, and the space between, but the work speaks volumes. Whether she’s building her tools from dollar-store brushes or carving wooden forms with industrial power tools, Emon’s practice reflects the quiet strength of someone who built her creative life from the ground up.
While setting up for the interview, we kept getting sidetracked. Emon’s stories, humor, and openness made it hard not to get lost in conversation. By the time we officially began the interview, it felt like we already knew her.
Can you tell us a little bit about your background?
So, I'm a product of an arranged marriage. Growing up with a really structured culture, you go to school and then become a mother. I asked my father if I could attend art school, and my dad said no, absolutely not. He said you can be a teacher or a nurse or a doctor or so on, because to make it as an artist in Thailand, it's not a thing at all. Then I had an opportunity to immigrate to the States, and I was in the service industry for over a decade, working in restaurants and bars. Over time, I realized this was not what I wanted to do. I thought my only opportunity was in the service industry, as an immigrant, that’s what I thought. Then my friends gave me a pen and paper from an art store, and I was like, whoa, this is kind of cool. It's not from CVS, Walmart, or anything like that. I began exploring the process, and with the pen and the paper, everything felt so smooth and easy to create. And that's when I fell in love with it. That was my first medium. I don't have the money to buy anything expensive.
Did you want to be an artist growing up?
Back then [in childhood], people related good, fine art with realism. Whether you're drawing flowers, you're drawing people, or you're drawing landscapes, you get as close to the realism of it as possible. That's what people value. I don't know how to do anything like that, but at such an early age, ten, I was really interested in getting into commercials. I wanted to make commercials. How to translate things and support the product. So I'm interested in that tricky translation of creating the product and creating art to support the product.
Do you think your immigrant background shaped the way you think about discipline?
Absolutely. When you’re an immigrant, you feel like you don’t have room to fail. You have to be better than good. I didn’t grow up thinking I could be an artist. I didn’t grow up knowing that was a real path. I had to prove I could work harder than anyone — and that’s still what I try to do every day. That’s why my systems are so tight. That’s why my schedule is so exact. Structure gives me freedom. Chaos doesn’t.
Has your cultural background shaped the color palette you work in?
In Thai culture, color is really significant. We have colors for every day. If you’re born on Monday, you’re yellow. If you’re born on Saturday, you’re purple. But I don’t like color. My whole life was full of noise. Grayscale gives me clarity. It allows me to focus. Everything else, I feel, is chaos. It's not about sadness or purity to me, it's about structure and clarity. I like limits. I like discipline. And when you only have black and white, there's no hiding. Every mark matters. Every shadow has weight. You don’t need color to be emotional.
Do you like color?
Color was never really my thing. My whole life was full of noise, but black and white gives me clarity. It lets the texture and composition speak. I’ve tried color. Sometimes I’ll splash it in. But then I look at the piece and go, “Not ready.” Black and white feels more powerful to me right now.
Emon Surakitkoson
How did you transition into selling your art?
I knew that I loved making art and that I had to create an opportunity for myself to sell my work, so I asked the owner of the bar I was working at if I could create a holiday market. She was always really supportive, and she said yes, so I began selling my artwork. People would know me as a bartender, and they would make fun of me because I wanted to be an artist. But I thought if I created the event for all the small makers, all the emerging artists to come to, people would come out, and I would just kind of blend in and be able to sell my work. And after that, I sold my work for $35 max, and I'd be able to make $300. I was like, whoa, this is quite cool. Back then, I just wanted to make money to buy more supplies so I could continue making art.
How did you develop the discipline to keep showing up for your work?
Because when you work in restaurants, you work every day. You hustle every day. So I took that same work ethic and applied it to art. It’s not like I had a grant or funding. I had to train myself to treat it like a job. If I don’t show up, I don’t eat.
Do you ever miss working in restaurants?
I mean, I miss it. I miss the community. I miss meeting new people. But I know now that I'm better at creating something in my own environment. Every morning I wake up early, try to find something that interests me to get on with my day, then I walk to my studio, and that’s when I begin to create. When the sun goes down, that’s when I go home. It’s kind of a rhythm now. A routine.
What advice would you give to someone who wants to start but doesn’t know how?
Start with what you have. You don’t need a $400 easel. You don’t need a studio. You need one good pen, one good sheet of paper, and a corner. Use your hands. Use your hunger. If you’re waiting for permission, you’ll never start.
Emon Surakitkoson
You mentioned you built some of your own tools?
During the pandemic, I got stuck in North Carolina and couldn't get across the bridge. I told my partner, “I’m going crazy, I have to do something.” We went to a dollar store, and I started building brushes out of what I could find: rubber bands, cheap materials. That’s when I realized, work with what you have. Now I make some of my own tools all the time. You don’t need fancy supplies to make great work.
How did you find your style?
I’m stubborn. I don’t like outside influences too much. I want it to come from me. What I love is how precise things can be with freehand. It’s this feeling, I don’t know how to explain it, like getting high from the discipline. The way the brush moves, the pressure, the repetition… I get goosebumps. That’s what keeps me going.
How do you find balance?
I don’t know if balance is something I’m searching for. Life is up and down. If you have a loved one who needs you, that’s where your attention goes. For me, sometimes I work every day for a whole month with no day off, and I don’t feel tired. But when the energy dips, I take a break, go to the beach, and hang out with my dog. It’s more about tuning in than keeping a fixed schedule.
What has been making you excited to work lately?
Right now, I’m working on a lot of projects. This is like the last quarter of the year; it’s a busy season. Today, I got to mentor a kid, something I only do a couple of times a year. I didn’t have that when I was younger, so it’s like talking to my younger self. That fulfills me. And I’m exploring new mediums. I want to get into CNC to create larger-scale wood sculptures. Hopefully, that leads to public art one day.
What are you working on right now?
I just wrapped a project with Marriott International Headquarters in Maryland. The next one is creating a lobby piece for the DC Health headquarters. After that, I’m planning to take a break and visit my family in Thailand. I also hope to keep mentoring and collaborating with other artists. That always inspires me.
