For our unit 1 project, the theme we were prompted to work with was the "narrative"

Narrative art is art that tells a story, either as a moment in an ongoing story or as a sequence of events unfolding over time. Some of the earliest evidence of human art suggests that people told stories with pictures. Although there are some common features to all narrative art, different cultures have developed idiosyncratic ways to discern narrative action from pictures.

"Flowing Inspiration"

“Flowing Inspiration”

In the past, I had dedicated myself to making pieces that reflected upon issues in the world. My goal when creating these artworks was to make people think about how these matters affect them in their everyday lives; inspiring a want for change and action. However, this time, I wanted to create a work that was deeply rooted in the joys of my own life; particularly how my family contributes to this great pleasure.

My mom is a writer and my dad is an artist and filmmaker, and because of their creative backgrounds, I’ve been fortunate enough to have a very bright childhood; one that inspired my infatuation for art and encouraged me to step out of my comfort zone to explore my passions. I believe that the artwork I’m able to make now resulted from the long line of creators who passed down their love of craft through the generations of my family; eventually leading to me. This is the story I aimed to tell in this piece. 

To me, hands are a symbol of connection. They are what we use to greet people, comfort each other, and are a focal point for intimacy, whether it be platonic or romantic. This led me to make hands the highlight of my piece to represent the generations of artists in my family. 

Another important aspect of this artwork is the rainbow paint drips that flow between the fingers. These drips symbolize inspiration. Though the hands aren’t physically connected, inspiration, represented by the paint, touches each hand and runs to the next, forming a bond. The paint's color also plays a role in symbolizing inspiration itself. To me, this artistry is unrestricted and bright. Much like paint, it can take any form and be used to bring your dreams to life. I reflected on this idea by embracing my lack of control while pouring the paint and letting the drips flow freely. I also didn’t limit myself to a specific color pallet. Instead, I focused on how all the colors together made me feel; allowing my mind to run wild. This liberating technique was also inspired by the work of Jenny Saville and Christian Orrillo whose pieces embrace surrealism due to their use of bright colors and dramatic shapes.

Originally, I was set on making a painting using acrylic paint and having the drips break past the canvas in order to represent how this passion inspires me to try new things even if I find it intimidating at first. However, thanks to some helpful advice given to me by my teacher and peers, the idea of creating a 3D piece was presented to me. Working with sculpture is a medium I never thought that I would explore before this project, but I decided that by doing so, I would be able to represent this theme even better since I would have the opportunity to fully experience the feeling of experiencing something completely new rather than simply trying to communicate the idea of doing so to my audience with some other technique.

What resulted was a piece that pushed me out of my comfort zone and challenged me to keep working even in moments of failure. Whenever I got discouraged, I chose to focus on the memories and passion that inspired me to pursue this artwork in the first place. 

Overall, I’m very pleased with the end result and hope that this piece will capture people's attention and continue the chain of “Flowing Inspiration” for generations to come.

Unit 1 Process Portfolio

(Includes my sketchbook activities and project documentation)