Vietnamese Lady in a Red Hat (2026) Original Oil Painting by Ta Byrne

During a trip to Vietnam, I saw women wearing traditional dresses and hats, riding bicycles loaded with all sorts of goods to sell.

Building on that impression, I realised that the hat is not merely for protection against the sun or rain. It is a symbol of protection.

Beyond its practical use of shielding from sunlight and rain, the hat also conceals emotions, happiness, and sorrow.

If the eyes are a window to one's feelings, then, in this sense, the hat becomes a curtain, drawing that window closed and shielding those eyes from the outside world.

“I was truly honoured when Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah Al-Haj of Malaysia visited my studio recently, and now two of my paintings hang in his Palace”.

“Ta was ecstatic to receive a link to a captivating article by Tony Walne in *The Daily Mail on Sunday*, a prestigious UK publication. Titled "How to Spot the Next Banksy or Hockney," the piece celebrated Ta alongside these legendary icons of the art world, marking a significant moment in her artistic journey.


In March 2026, I sent a painting to the F.W. Norton Art Gallery & Museum, which purchased it for their Contemporary Art Gallery. It doesn't get much better than that.

Materials used:

Oil on canvas

Details:

• Oil painting on Canvas
• One of a kind artwork
• Size: 100 x 150 x 4cm (unframed) / 100 x 150cm (actual image size)
• Signed on the front
• Style: Impressionistic
• Subject: People and portraits