A Meeting, A Painting, A Purpose

Julia Haw with Julie Haw

Some say the universe works in mysterious ways, and others say that there are NO coincidences.

A special note from director Julia Haw:

"Today, a woman walked into The River Gallery with the same name as me. She is from Singapore and her name is Julie Haw. Growing up, my family referred to me only as Julie (not Julia). We stood together in disbelief with chills running down our arms. And we made sure to take a picture with our business cards side by side. We could not believe we'd found each other in this world.

Same Same but Different, Julia Haw, Sold

To preface, this morning I prayed to our special blessed money goddess with 3 incense sticks and 11 sprays of Saigon perfume. I asked her to please send us a sale.

When Julie saw the painting by me from a particular series titled "Same Same but Different," she said "I'm buying that." I said "did you see the price?" She said, "Yes, and I don't want a discount."

The universe truly feels aligned... and now this work has found its rightful home with a woman of the same name. I am honored and dumbfounded and wanted to share this story with our community.

Thank you to all those who have belief in us, in the arts and in our beloved NGO the Colors of Cambodia school. I donated $1000 of this sale to COC because this is my home, my heart and my life path - right here with our school.

For context, this painting is titled "Four to Six" and deals with the fact that there are estimated to be 4-6 MILLION landmines still buried under Cambodian soil. This is why there is a large amount of disabled people here in the country who have been affected by the war tragedy. Let us remember always the heart of this country -- the people and those in need."

Have a beautiful weekend all!