International award-winning artist Clemente, originally from Newport Beach in southern California, has been a student of art from an early age. She explored painting and photography, but decided she was destined to be an artist.

Throughout the years, Clemente studied with some of the best, including Les Larson of California, Rosemary Thompson of Arizona, and Bunny Comb of New Mexico. Her oil paintings include renderings of American Indian artifacts. Her Southwest painting period reflects her own American Indian roots as a full member of the Cowlitz Indian Tribe in Washington State. She also took up the study of Sumi-e, Japanese ink and watercolor painting, for four years in Japan beginning in 1983. She focused on the works of Takahiko Mikami and Sadami Yamada, then ultimately the combination of three decades of devoted study to art led to her own unique and inimitable style. Clemente enjoyed Sumi-e painting embracing its demand for discipline, requiring the painter to devote a lot of time and patience.

Clemente has had several art exhibitions, including one at the main office of the Bank of the Ryukyus in Naha, Okinawa and with Okinawa Ikebana Master Shiho Yoshida. Clemente's recognition as an international artist in oil paintings of Bonsai and Ikebana is well known to the Okinawan community. Her paintings are sought after and owned by serious art collectors throughout the world.

Returning to Okinawa in 1992, her love of the Okinawan culture found her devoting studies to learning the language full time for two years at the Urasoe Japanese Language Institute. While studying the history of Okinawa, Clemente recognized the centuries' old tradition of Okinawan people expressing kindness and hospitality to all travelers and visitors.

Clemente was so affected by the strain in relations between Okinawans and Americans on Okinawa during 1995 that she committed herself to doing something positive that dealt exclusively with Okinawa. Clemente also wanted to focus on family unity. She intentionally selected to write and illustrate bilingual children's fables on a mongoose and a habu as protagonists in order to show how "mortal enemies" could become friends. Her dedication is "for the children of Okinawa and the American children that live on Okinawa. May your future bring unity, peace and understanding of each other."

Clemente's Japanese and English bilingual children's educational books are a true collaboration between the two communities. Okinawan and American editors, photographers, researchers, translators, Okinawa-Kosoku Insatsu Company, and the Bank of the Ryukus International Foundation worked together in harmony in creating the mongoose character "Miki Mongoose" as "The Spirit-of-Okinawa."

She expressed her commitment to the rich and distinctive Ryukyuan culture by going out to both Okinawan and American schools reading her books to the children. Aware of the growing need for its preservation, in one two-month period alone she had read to over 2,000 students of both culture in-groups of 15 to 20 students. As Clemente published each book in her series she made personal donations to the Okinawa Prefectural Board of Education for distribution to the numerous handicapped schools throughout the Okinawa Prefecture. Through her books and charity work, she touched so many individuals in both the Okinawan and American communities. Her lifetime of contributions to Okinawa received formal recognition from various Government of Japan officials, which includes a letter on behalf of the Okinawan People from former Governor Masahide Ota, Governor of Okinawa Prefecture.

Clemente was a member of the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators.