Anya

Hello, my name is Anya and I am in 8th grade at Seattle Girls School. I  enjoy making art because of how it makes me feel physically and mentally. I like the different forms of art and the different textures, colors, and patterns. I think it is cool how you can express your interpretation of the world. I also like how it reflects a large range of emotions, including the fact that art doesn't even have to reflect any emotion! For example, when I am tired, I might experiment with hot glue, which has no deep significant meaning for me, but when I feel focused, I will find a reference and take a long time drawing it. When you look at a reference for a long time, you see it differently than you did originally. 

My project was difficult for multiple reasons. The biggest challenge was that I was putting too much pressure on myself to represent the subjects I was drawing perfectly. I have a historical connection to those cats, so I wanted to reflect them in the painting as I know them. I would spend 2 hours working on one face, or a bunch of stripes, but at the same time was quite impatient and was hard on myself. I wish I could say I learned a ton from this project, but the main thing I took away from it was to stick with it. I started 3 different projects when I was frustrated with my main one, but my friend and the people at my table encouraged me to focus, which is not my strong suit. I am really glad  I was encouraged to continue with this project, but I want to work on my mindset before my net project. I am proud of how I challenged myself to commit to the piece.

Why is art important to society? Because it's an outlet for people to have their voices heard. It also gives freedom to people who feel confined. It can invoke emotion without words, and can be a form of resistance and  a form of change. Art can inspire people to try new things and change the way people think about art.

My work was inspired by a family of cats my family took care of while traveling abroad. We were renting a house and part of the deal was that we took care of two cats. Soon after we started staying there, one of the cats, Zoe, was pregnant and had 4 kittens. We raised them and found them homes. Sadly, we had to leave them when we went home to Seattle, but we reunited with one of them when we returned to the island again. Unfortunately, two of them have been missing for more than a year and have yet to be found. They brought so much humor and joy to to a big transition point in our lives and were such a part of our family, that I thought I could honor them in an art piece. I tried to reflect their personalities in my piece, like Zoe's wise and feisty face, Thai's somewhat hesitant face, Boba's brave face, Fern's shy face, and Siopoas's lovable and very fat face.

I loved my choice of color and texture in the background. It adds a wild element to a rather tame piece, which makes sense since they loved exploring the jungle. I am overall happy with how this piece turned out, and I love that I will have a memory of this special little family in my house. I hope you enjoy it!

The Little Jungle Family, 2024

Acrylic on Canvas