Kintsugi
Maile M.
Acrylic paint, oil pastel, color pencil, crayon, water color, mirror shard, embroidery
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This artwork is meant to symbolize that we're all made of many pieces, and there are many different versions of ourselves that are all connected. Each different piece is unified to create a whole. I was inspired by a Japanese art method, called Kintsugi, where broken ceramic is repaired with gold; a broken thing becomes even more beautiful than it was before it broke. I think that applies to more than just pottery. Many people become “cracked” during their life; hardships and events that stay with us long after they happen, and they make us better for it. We break, and we pick ourselves up again, and we keep going, bettering ourselves everyday, or at least trying to. We all have imperfections, which make us unique. I know that my own imperfections are what drive me to create and express my feelings through my creativity. This art piece was my attempt to visualize those ideas, as well as a way for me to experiment with many different mediums. Most of the piece is acrylic paint applied directly to the canvas, but there are a lot of parts that I did on separate pieces of paper and then attached to the canvas. I worked with oil pastel, watercolor, color pencil, and hand embroidery (and some crayola crayons) to make different sections of her face (the different versions/parts of her). Then I glued them to the canvas, and filled in the cracks with gold acrylic, similar to actual Kintsugi.
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Creativity, to me, is my way of expressing my feelings. I am someone who sometimes struggles with doing expressing my feelings and thoughts outwardly in a healthy way. When I make art, that creativity allows me to both process and outwardly express any negative (and positive) feelings healthily and meaningfully.
