My art, at a glance, is a simple collection of adorable photos--a lovely cat playing with a shoelace, hissing at its own reflection in the mirror, and watching its owner as they complete their homework. Animals are often adopted simply because they are cute. Then, when people no longer want to be responsible, they are thrown away. As if animals are objects that can be sold and returned. As if they aren't living beings. My art may look just "cute," similar to a cat being given up for adoption. But if one looks at what's going on at the surface, they'll never understand how deep it is. My art depicts the transition from being excited to have a pet to rejecting and abandoning it. Excitement, followed by annoyance and rejection, and ultimately, abandonment. Playing with the cat, laughing as it gets scared by its own reflection, trying to ignore it as it sticks its paw out on to the paper, and in the end it's all alone, staring at flowers that have been drained of color. I hope my "simple" art stirs complicated and perhaps even uncomfortable emotions within the viewer, giving life and depth to a "simple" creature that people choose to treat carelessly.

Evanescence. Definition: soon passing out of sight, memory, or existence. A flower plucked from its life source is the epitome of impermanence. Its ephemeral dance of colors and fragrances can only last so long before it succumbs to the animosity of time. The transient nature of the flower’s life mirrors the constant change of the world around it, as its youth fades and its petals scatter, gently settling on the wooden table. It serves as a delicate reminder of the emptiness of chasing an everlasting feeling of joy, forgetting that fleeting moments are what actually gives importance to those feelings. Scratchboard art is the perfect medium for attempting to capture these fleeting moments. Its unforgiving nature of scratch art requires the artist to embrace changes, whether negative or positive, and to continue moving. The act of scratching away the dark surface to reveal the bright layers underneath serves as a visual narrative for the perpetuating cycle of creation and decay, contrasting light and dark to exemplify this notion.

I created this piece to participate in the discussion on the whitewashing of Greek statues and their history. For centuries, archeologists have concluded that the white and marbled remains of ancient Greece symbolized sophistication and elegance. Essentially, it paints a false narrative about how ivory sculptures and architecture are the pinnacle of high class. However, this idea is being contested, as recently, preserved remains of ancient Greece were found with bright colored paint. The Greek statues were actually colorful, as were the ancient Greek monuments. I wanted to draw a comparison between the real ancient Greece and how it is currently being portrayed in museums. On one side, the piece depicts ancient Greece with vibrant buildings and a painted statue. I tried to depict a lively society with busy streets full of people enjoying their lives. On the other side, I wanted to portray what the statue has become after centuries of erosion. The statue is perched on a stand like other damaged statues, showing the state of the remains of a once-great empire. The museum's color scheme is much colder and desaturated to create a contrast against the other side. My goal is to showcase my view on this issue but also open a discussion with other artists to understand their opinions on this subject as well.

When loneliness hits, it makes you feel really small. As if no one is out there to help you. You feel like you have no support, guidance, or emotions. You feel... erased. As if everyone wants to ignore you on purpose, with no particular reason why. This was my inspiration for this piece. We have all been in this situation, in which we feel like we have to erase ourselves from society. Feeling like the only thing we can do is crawl up into a ball, hoping that this endless nightmare is over. We feel escaping to the white void of nothingness will finally set us free, but it only happens in our head. What does it take to finally break free? I have no clue. However, I believe bringing awareness to the clause will someday bring me to a solution. One day, I feel loneliness will one day be gone forever, and it will only be a distant memory.

Echoes of the Heart represents the connection between time, the heart, and memories. Looking through old family photographs, I was inspired to create this piece. The connection of the heart to the distorted clock shows how the heart changes over time. The heart becomes the keeper of our memories as time passes, connecting it to the memories that are illustrated. The mountain range represents the echo of the heart. Our memories echo as the journey of life goes on. The foil bits attached to the heart and in the space between the clockwork represent the journey of self-reflection as a monumental passage in this surreal experience we call life. The clock gears embedded within the heart and in the background of the mountain represent just how intertwined time and the heart are. One thing that resonated with me was the fact that our memories echo. Memories are fragments of our hearts that we never let go of and will stick with us throughout life’s journey. They shape who we are as individuals, which is why I wrote the phrase “Memories Echo” in the space between the clock distortions. I ran into numerous artistic blocks where I would simply stare at my artwork and wonder what message I was trying to convey. Eventually, I curated a connection between the elements of my work. I thoroughly enjoyed the artistic process of creating this work. I hope you enjoy looking at this art as much as I enjoyed making it.

This artwork depicts the increasing urgency of climate change and our planet. It depicts a “message” in a bottle telling a story of a burning and dying world. It urges us to take action before the green and healthy environment on the outside becomes the world on the inside. It serves as a reminder of the increasing urgency of the issue of climate change.