Hi Everyone! I work at Artists For Humanity, a non-profit organization that focuses solely on providing underserved youth with keys to self-sufficiency through paid employment in the arts. Here are some of the paintings I have been working on in the past year. Some of these were based off observations from the Harbor Islands  during the summer and some were based off photos from my childhood. My goal here is to  send a message through these paintings to show the world, trends in society I have been noticing through my eyes.

Society's View

 For this piece, I wanted to convey an overall message that people are so focused on these unhealthy, artificially flavored and colored drinks. People are slowly forgetting the importance of water and the great wonders they bring to our bodies. To convey such message, I painted the more popular drinks teens and adults would consume sitting up on a flat surface. To show contrast, I painted a water bottle lying on the flat surface with water spilling out to resemble the popularity between both.

The Difference

 When I was about 8 years old, my mom would dress me up in a "Qi Pao", a traditional Chinese dress, and take me out with my brother to the Boston Commons, or the Prudential to take pictures so she can send them back to my relatives in China. In Chinese culture, it's common courtesy to send some sort of visual piece back home to show how well they have been in a foreign place. As you can tell, only I am dressed noticeably as a chinese person. My brother is dressed in a very fancy suit, making him look very westernized. The message I am trying to show is that I have always been treated differently from my brother, hence the difference in clothing. I painted this piece based directly off a photograph I found in a very old photo album at home.

Stop and Smell The Flowers

Similarly to my last painting, I wanted to continue with the theme of a contrast between the Chinese culture and the American culture.  Flipping through my photo album, I found many photos that had my brother and I when we were really young. I decided to place these photos in a particular order where it ranges through age. The top left is when I was the youngest of all, and the bottom right is when I was a older. Together, these 6 pieces can be viewed as one complete piece or individually. As you can tell, these settings take place around Boston. Essentially, this collaborative piece represents how the culture I live with contrasts the environment I live in. One weird thing about Chinese people is that, we really like taking pictures of flowers. So, this piece shows an American setting, through a more Chinese view. I decided to call this piece "Stop and Smell the Flowers" because like the quote, "Stop and Smell the Roses", flipping through that photo album made me think of the past memories of my childhood and how the influence of both cultures has made me who I am now.  

 Believe

This painting was one of my earliest paintings I have produced. I based this piece off a tree I saw on Grape Island in the Boston Harbor. As I looked around the island, this tree caught my eye because it's so intricate and different. There were at least 5 trees that were growing out of that one spot. In the city, you don't see trees growing like that! From the perspective I was seeing this tree, the sun was shining bright at me, creeping through the leaves. I wanted to imitate everything I saw, so I painted the sunlight that was gazing at me when I looked up.

The View

"The View" is the first painting I have accomplished. This piece takes place on George's Island in the Boston Harbor. While walking through the island, scouting for something interesting I could draw, I appeared in front of a building that had leaves and grass growing out off from the rooftop. Isn't that so interesting? I quickly took a picture, then sketched it and thus my first painting has been made. The assignment for my first painting is a self portrait and it was clear that my painting showed nothing about me. So, as my final mark, I painted a figure of myself standing on the grass and looking out. This represents the more adventurous and daring side of me. Overall, I think this first piece didn't turn out all so terrible, however, if I ever get the chance to repaint this again, I definitely would.

I Love Eating Apples on a Picnic

My Own Flag

Can you spot the difference?