As I grow older, my grasp on my core values and interests is slipping as I lose sight of my passions in the whirlwind of academic pressure.

I could not stop thinking about things that I have wanted to buy, so I have decided to make a drawing based on money.

Given an opportunity to try watercolor, I was initially intimidated by the complexity.

This was my final project for a painting course I did over the summer at Parsons.

Upon first glance, there is a portrait of a distressed person in the center of the piece who has been participating in a rigorous, physically demanding exercise while wearing a sweater, causing them to profusely sweat. Their facial expression reveals that they are tired and unmotivated, yet they continue to stay disciplined and continue strict conditioning regardless if they are exhausted, or in extreme discomfort, showing they strive to be the best through putting in their maximum effort. Not only do the seismic waves in the background represent what the figure is feeling in their head-an onslaught of emotions-but also visualizes the pressure the character faces in achieving difficult goals. The motive behind this piece began with my athletic career in the beginning of adolescence: I never felt that I belonged in my school volleyball team because the others were more athletically gifted and experienced than me. I was on the verge of quitting, however through being inspired by the professionals, I knew I wanted to be among the best. I trained everyday under the hot summer sun, forcing myself to break through the pain; despite feeling that I had made no progress- depicted by the distress on the figure’s face in the drawing- I’m now in a high achieving club team, and I wanted this drawing to portray a piece in the journey I took in order to reach where I am today, where I’m still striving to be the best I can be.

A piece based on Jinping Xi’s pet project to create an auspicious, Beijing-like, sanctuary city in the rural area of Xiong’an. At the end of July of 2023, floods Xiong'an. To protect his vision, Jinping Xi ordered to release stored floodwater, drowning several surrounding rural villages– including the residents. The red thread represents a blueprint of Beijing, elevated above the rest like China’s “Red Nobility.” The string remains nearly untouched, 2D, and idealistic. Similarly, the all-white city of Xiong’an crafted with paper is also seemingly 2D from an aerial view– until light hits like a flood, revealing the stark contrast between unaffected visions and an impacted reality. How untouched do the elite of society remain, even with the power to control those below them? Maps are items that hold natural beauty with the curves and intersections of every road. However, these roads are also artificial, manmade, cruelly carved into the earth.

In my process, I was interested in how highlights using white color pencil can be accentuated on a toned paper surface, so I used black and white color pencil to shade up a composition where a mannequin was turned away from a lamp while sitting on a vase. The inanimate object poses away from the light in a humanistic way, intended to evoke thought about what the ambiguous scene may represent. As I drew, I realized I could add a focus by using vibrant blues and greens for the fallen vase, so that the eyes are first drawn towards the iridescent green vase, then led up towards the mannequin. In my composition, I tried to maintain a ratio following the rule of thirds to make it more appealing to the eye.

I made a still life drawing of a small blue vase, a pink plastic butterfly, and scissors.

This piece uses shapes and balance to give a feeling of peace. The circles have a green color to represent the nature and the black at the bottom represents all the evil in life and how darkness always exists.Creating this piece warranted a lot of emotions being channeled into the art as it was a time where the stress of school was starting to build up. Overall making the torus shapes and creating an abstract artwork allowed me to express my inner battles with the darkness in life.

As time moves forward, as I move from middle school to high-school, as I move from freshmen to sophomore, and so on and so forth, I can't help but think about graduation.

As an artist, I am on a quest to explore the intricate tapestry of identity and self-expression, not only within myself but also within the world at large. My work is a mirror reflecting human existence, an exploration of the intersection of identity and culture. The canvas, for me, is both a sanctuary and a battleground, a place where I can confront my innermost fears and desires, a place where I can celebrate my most authentic self. Growing up in a Chinese household, I strived to incorporate this irreplaceable facet of my identity into my artwork; references to Chinese artists are evident throughout my pieces. Each painting or drawing showcases a part of myself, from my rawest emotions to the things I admire. As I create, I am aware of the responsibility that falls on my shoulders. It is not merely about leaving a mark on a canvas, but rather about leaving an imprint on the hearts and minds of those who encounter my art. I seek to stir emotions, provoke thought, and inspire change. Through my work, I hope to challenge preconceived notions, celebrate diversity, and contribute to a more harmonious and accepting society, leaving a legacy that elevates understanding and enriches the world.

My piece “Negativity Illness” focuses on my negative emotions although I have hobbies and entertainment around me like listening to music, books, stuffed toys, etc.

This painting bears a strong cultural connection to my visit to India, where I captured a memorable photograph. In this painting, I focused on the decorative arches, intricate carvings on pillars, and the friezes that showcased the richness and cultural significance of the architecture. These elements were vital in not only rendering the scene faithfully but also in conveying the cultural depth and intricacies of the subject matter. In this painting, I focused on the proportionality of objects, sizing the architectural moment in relation to its surroundings, which included the bushes, the street lamp, and the distant buildings. This attention to proportion contributed to the overall logicality of the piece. I also considered the interplay of the light source and the shadows on the edges of the building by using darker shades of brown, creating a three dimensional effect. Furthermore, I dedicated myself to capturing the intricate textural details found in the sand-covered, pebbled ground, the colorful designs on the roof and even the leaf-like texture in the bushes. This was accomplished by blending multiple shades of base color and layering them to create depth and texture within the scene.

What I am really asking through this piece is “visually, how do different artist, such as musicians, connect with others such as their fans?”.

The Wave is a handcrafted piece that was built using ceramic coils. Each coil has textures to mimic the ocean's fluidity and form. The bottom of the piece depicts the interaction between the ocean and the sand; the glazes melded under the extreme heat in the kiln to create the illusion of wet sand, transitioning from land to water. Going up towards the top of the work, the glaze colors go from a dark blue to a light blue, and finally to a white-colored glaze which is the foam of an ocean wave. The various glazes that were used illustrate the complexity and beauty that the ocean possesses. The rough texture of the foam and the curvature at the top of the wave attempts to portray movement and the ever-changing tides within the ocean. Paralleling this concept, life constantly changes as we experience new phenomena. While this change is difficult, it presents opportunities to grow and learn, thus revealing the beauty of such events.

This art piece portrays my mom (the youngest) with her three older sisters. I wanted to draw this special moment because this is one of the few photographs of my mom when she was young. I convey the connection between the sisters through their similar clothing, but show each of their uniqueness through their individual facial expressions. The position of the people indicates that they are posing for a photo. The way each of them pose demonstrates their childhood innocence and character, with the oldest sister seeming the most mature and put together. The people and undertones of the background are done in graphite pencil. I used many pencils of different hardness and darkness to capture a variety of contrast in the values. The texture of the background aims to mimic the quality of an old photograph and is achieved through a variety of techniques that I experimented with: painting quick watercolor brush strokes, lightly shading with oil pastels, and dabbing a slightly wet sponge that was dipped in watercolor.

My art was an evolving piece where I just got ideas along the way as I did it, like the soldier with a rope around his neck was inspired by the old tank that had a dead man on it, and the background inspired the rest of the piece to be taking place in the mountains with population.

I painted this about multitasking, and how our brains these days are almost built to do/consume multiple things at once, never being satisfied with doing one thing at a time, especially due to the rise of short-form content on the internet. I reflected on my experience during finals week, where I found myself physically unable to focus on one thing at once, constantly switching between tasks and doing multiple things at once. The office setting depicts how our minds are hardwired to this, and how short attention spans have become so very common place.

The Bridge of the Bay area represents the symbol to the community, of where my grandparents are from.

My piece depicts one of my art educators, Nyame, an inspiration to my creativity. Surrounding him are the colors and art that cover Oakland, the city I live in. The combination of vibrant colors, graphic visuals, and splashes of saturated colors bring life to the dark chaotic streets, and I wanted to convey that in my piece. Each word has a specific meaning, some deeper than others. For example, in white is written "Afronaut", Nyame's Instagram handle. Making this piece was very challenging, as I was constantly choosing how to lay down the watercolors to create a graphic yet realistic look. The contrasting subjects bring together two very different styles, which I think brings life and depth to the piece. In total, the process took approximately 8-10 hours, from sketch to finalized product. Many see street art as an annoyance, or a dirty form of vandalism, but I see it as the embellishments that make a city unique, that bring the city to life.