Crescenciana: An Art Book and Memoir

Seated side-by-side at their kitchen table in San Jose, California, ninety-four year old Crescenciana Tan and her grandson, Kenneth Tan, got to work. Crescenciana made watercolor paintings and Kenneth drew her memories on top of them. When Crescenciana passed, she left behind all of her paintings, and Kenneth decided he would finish everything she started. He promised.

In Crescenciana, Kenneth weaves together their artwork, conversations, and memoirs to tell his grandmother’s life story. With heart and humour, he recounts Crescenciana’s childhood antics in the Philippines, her fall on black ice outside of a church in Canada, and her show-stopping civics test performance that earned her citizenship in the United States. At the same time, he revisits her memories as a survivor of World War II and the Japanese occupation of the Philippines, and he reflects on his own continuing grief since her passing.

Crescenciana is an art book and memoir about carrying and commemorating your family’s stories. It’s a book about moving forward without leaving your loved ones behind.

Product Description

Description

• Crescenciana is a memoir and art book about my lola (Tagalog for "grandma"), with illustrations we made together between 2014 and 2021.
• Hardcover, first edition, first printing.
• Printed in the United States.
• 9" wide by 12" tall.
• Over 80 full-color illustrations.
• 240 pages.
• ISBN-13: 978-0578315829