Much of Alina Kawai’s sensitivity and interest in color and form derives from her Japanese and Euro-American heritages. One becomes aware and fascinated on how each culture applies meanings and usage for colors and marks in relations to the visual arts, literature, social, and anthropological histories. This has become a resource to inquire on the similarities and differences from both cultures. Having lived in both countries there are feelings of an uneasy intensity conjured from being in-between places and ideas. The “in-betweeness” translates as part of the process of paintings, allowing to re-organize and understand a person’s identity. For Kawai painting is ultimately a way to relate to the human psyche and our existence within cultures.