Hi, I'm Leah Sim from Portola High School! This is my visual journal.

Choices

Year: 2024

Medium: Acrylic on canvas

Dimensions: 16” x 20” 

Every person makes their own choices, sometimes with sacrifices. The heart and paint represent emotion and passion, with hands weighing each side before prioritizing one. Pixels surrounding the canvas create a glitch effect where real-life and video games merge, adding to the perception that a choice must be made.

Melting

Year: 2024

Medium: Acrylic, colored pencil, ink pen, and graphite on paper

Dimensions: 24” x 7.5”

Often during moments of stress, the brain feels overwhelmed almost as if it’s melting. When this piece is folded, the uneasiness is shown by the facial expression; however, when unfolded, the hidden chaos is revealed. The various mediums used to make the brain enhance the perception of chaos.

Late Nights

Year: 2024

Medium: Acrylic on canvas

Dimensions: 14” x 14” 

A collection of comfort items with the mess from tearful nights is represented by snacks and music. The melted ice cream and scattered chips add to the chaos of the night.

Cooling

Year: 2024

Medium: Paper, wire, clay, hot glue, acrylic, fake snow, and fake ice cubes

Dimensions: 15” x 11” x 8”

How should I cool down? The cooling hat is the perfect tool! The snowy arctic environment with ice cream and an igloo represents the solution. The cold is concentrated on the head, allowing the ice to cool my brain.

Mascara

Year: 2024

Medium: Acrylic on canvas

Dimensions: 14” x 14” 

Mascara is the most important part of my makeup routine; eyelashes must be full and lifted. During dark mornings, turning on my light and staring into the mirror is essential to my transformation. Dark blue shadows emphasize the effects of the night, while the composition focuses on the body’s action.

Imperfections

Year: 2023

Medium: Colored pencil on paper

Dimensions: 18” x 16”

Makeup is a tool to cover up the imperfections that manifest physically, followed by the concealer application on the face that already has eyeliner and mascara. The gloomy mood of the night before is shown by the blue lighting of the piece, obstructing the view of my real skin. 

Band Camp

Year: 2024

Medium: Oil on canvas

Dimensions: 40” x 30”

I dedicated a total of 90 hours to color guard over two weeks in the burning hot summer, for a 7-minute marching band show. The exhilaration that comes with spinning the flag in performance takes form in the bright colors that make up the painting. 

Controlled

Year: 2024

Medium: Colored pencil, acrylic, modeling paste, and string on illustration board

Dimensions: 30” x 20” 

Keeping up with the perfect image may make young adults feel they’re running on autopilot while striving for the impossible. The hands at the top of the piece are selectively placed, becoming a puppeteer pulling on the pressure to perform. The background, fading from dark to light, highlights working.

Blowing Away

Year: 2023

Medium: Charcoal on paper

Dimensions: 35” x 23”

I tend to hold onto those closest to me, even when they leave me by choice. These feelings of attachment manifest in the dandelion–holding onto it while the seeds fly away, finding somewhere else to grow. Charcoal is used to more accurately represent the lack of color felt during loss.