Washington Works

Phu Nguyen loves to paint. By day, Nguyen paints walls, ceilings and the like for the Department of General Administration's Capitol Facilities. Nights and weekends are spent creating watercolors, oils and lacquer paintings—many influenced by his mother and his difficult childhood in Vietnam.

Nguyen's father was a colonel in the South Vietnamese army during the Vietnam War. When the U.S.-backed government fell to the communists in 1975, Nguyen's father was arrested and imprisoned for 10 years—caged in a 5-by-4-foot box and fed a single bowl of rice each day.

“My motherhood paintings are inspired by my mother, who protected and cared for us through so much,” says Nguyen.

An early childhood interest in drawing led Nguyen to the Vietnam Classic Art Academy and a bachelor's degree from the University of Saigon, School of Art. After college, he spent 13 years teaching at the Fine Art University in Ho Chi Minh City (formerly Saigon).

“During the years my father was in prison I helped the family by teaching art and selling paintings,” says Nguyen. “I also love children and I would teach art to orphans once a week.”

Nguyen was a member of Vietnam’s National Artist’s Society. His work, especially his lacquer paintings, achieved some commercial success, as the communist government gradually opened to the world.

Lacquer painting is a style of Vietnamese folk art dating back to the third century B.C., with later Chinese and French influences. It involves the use of a special varnish made from the sap of trees found only in Southeast Asia. The lacquer is heated and applied in multiple applications to a piece of cloth that is glued onto a wooden board.

In spite of Nguyen’s increasing artistic recognition, life remained difficult in Vietnam, so in 1993 his family moved to Olympia.

With the help of other Vietnamese refuges, Nguyen got work as a commercial painter for a local realty company. He left there after five years to take a temporary painting job with General Administration. When the position ended, he returned briefly to Vietnam to marry his longtime girlfriend. His happy return turned to sadness when he learned that his father had died from a heart attack.

Another temporary stint with General Administration evolved into a permanent position in 2000. Nguyen acknowledges that his full-time work is vastly different from his formal training and previous job in Vietnam, but he is quite happy working for the state.

“My supervisor and co-workers are very friendly and I have learned a lot from them,” says Nguyen.

His artwork has been on display locally on several occasions, including during Olympia’s twice-a-year Art Walk event. He is available to do commission work, including portrait work in oil or charcoal.

A great workforce, getting better.

Find out more about Washington’s great workforce!