By Linda Badger

Pho Huynh Sang has been serving steaming hot bowls of pho on Clement Street near Fourth Avenue for nearly a decade. The family-owned restaurant has a cozy feel, modest decor and beloved Vietnamese food. Recently, the establishment has also become a makeshift art gallery, displaying whimsical pen and ink drawings which a customer draws on napkins and leaves as a gift after each meal.

Mien Le, a waitress, first noticed the napkin drawings and was impressed. She found them to be so good that she put them under the tables’ glass tops to preserve and share with everyone who came in. The subjects of the drawings are whimsical: mice dressed in kimonos and eating noodles with chopsticks; a kimono-clad cat spying a butterfly; the emperor and empress of Japan in ceremonial dress; an old man with flowing hair and staff walking against the wind and many others. The artwork is reminiscent of paintings on Japanese scrolls and of characters in Japanese folklore. Who is this pho phantom, napkin artist?

His name is David Chen, a San Francisco artist, designer, calligrapher and entrepreneur. Chen was born in Portland, Ore. to a Japanese mother and a Chinese father, both of whom were successful, self-made designers. Chen followed in his artistic parents’ footsteps, becoming an artist and student of Asian culture.

Chen carries a brush and ink with him wherever he goes. For several years now, it has been his mission to create art using paper – mostly napkins – to leave in cafes or restaurants for others to appreciate and eventually throw away. According to Le, Chen finishes a drawing in the time it takes for him to be served. From time to time, Chen will also create sculptures out of napkins, such as a doll in full geisha dress, and leave them as “toys” for children to play with or decorate.

According to Chen, by creating these offerings from paper and nothing else, he is perpetuating traditional art forms that are disappearing. His paper sculptures, for example, are reminiscent of ancient “worry dolls” made to ward off sickness by being thrown in a river or burned.

Chen also likes that his napkin art cost virtually nothing to make or to enjoy. It always surprises him to see his “disposable” artwork preserved and on display.

“Life is like art,” Chen said. “If you want a beautiful life, add to the world by making beautiful things. This makes my life beautiful and other people’s lives beautiful.”

Chen’s artistic career has taken many forms. He has been an interior designer, a set designer, a food photographer, a Nordstrom pianist and a waiter in high-end and casual restaurants. A connoisseur of fine tea, Chen also had a tea shop with traditional tea ceremonies in Japantown for more than 10 years.

He acknowledges that it is hard to make a living in art, but questions whether making more money, the American Dream, results in a better life. Chen said he does not see the point of owning lots of things.

“Live in a small place. You don’t have to own it,” Chen said. “Like Mary Poppins said, ‘Enough is as good as a feast.’”

Not that Chen has anything against a good feast. He said he loves the classic French restaurant Gary Danko in Fisherman’s Wharf.

Chen created an authentic Japanese teahouse in a room of his San Francisco apartment, where he has been known to hold eight-hour tea ceremonies, serving the finest of teas in beautiful porcelain cups.

Chen is retired now and enjoys leaving random acts of art, as a kindness, wherever he goes. Sharing his love of life and beauty, he transforms a humble napkin into a lovely work of art while enjoying his favorite dish, #34, Pho Bo Kho (Beef Stew Noodle Soup) at Pho Huynh Sang.

Pho Huynh Sang is located at 239 Clement St. and is open from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., Tuesday to Sunday.