This piece was created with gouache and colored pencil on watercolor paper and a book. My artwork is inspired by the magic of childhood stories, and the bittersweet feeling of growing up. I wanted to bring those beloved stories into real life, and recreate what it feels like to be fully immersed in those story tales. I created the inside of the book by cutting a hole through the pages, and pasting the designs inside. This process was a fun challenge for me, especially because I love experimenting with different art forms, and ways I can approach those concepts.

I am initially a blank piece of paper. It is ultimately up to me how I want to inscribe and fold this paper into something beautiful. "Shattered; Bloom" is my first self portrait. I feel that by overcoming the mental block to drawing myself and accepting all my flaws, I am able to present a piece of myself to the world. Only by taking these kinds of risks can one truly bloom. Thus, the act of destruction does not bring a full pause (which would be denoted by a period); instead, it hints that there is something more beautiful to follow.

At its heart, this artwork is my confrontation with the duality of my own desires. One facet of my being yearns to embrace and celebrate my cultural heritage, while another longs to emancipate itself from the confines of stereotypical Asian conventions. The backdrop, adorned with intricate blue and white floral designs interwoven with delicate gold, symbolizes the pervasive stereotypes that often shroud Chinese culture. The shattered fragments of this cultural mosaics represent my breaking away from these stereotypes. It beckons us all to ponder the universal question of self-discovery, where we should define who we are, instead of letting society define us.

This artwork symbolizes the emotions of a neglected child, portraying the sense of feeling trapped within the confines of guardian neglect. I wanted to represent the idea of isolation and abandonment felt by neglected children, visually expressing their yearning for attention and care amidst an atmosphere that seems to suffocate them. Despite what children go through, they still want to find happiness in all of their pain. They choose to draw, play, even if no one is around to do those things with them. In all, I hope to have captured the feelings of child being left all alone within their own home.

This piece was inspired by the idea of receiving opportunities only when you're ready for them. I incorporated the bananas to symbolize the idea of something being "ripe", that you've either worked hard enough that something is ready for you or its just landed in your lap. I painted the man in the center in an illustrative, art deco style with a determined look on his face. I wanted to portray him in this style because of the quintessential American-ness that I feel the art deco style has. In western and American culture, there is often an attitude that with enough work you can do anything, and I wanted to both contradict that idea and agree with it in this piece. The man's determination represents the part of life that is dependent on work, ambition, and drive, and the ripe bananas surrounding him provide the condition that no matter how hard you work, sometimes things only happen when they're supposed to. I chose to have red in the background because of the intensity it gives the painting. The hand behind him is meant to be a hand reaching up to the sky, potentially in a plea or in thanks.

As the title states, this piece attempts to capture the multitude of personas within me. Despite the desire to showcase all aspects simultaneously, I've restrained myself, revealing only a few facets of my diverse personality. Yet, there are rare moments when you catch a glimpse of my true self, a harmonious buzz of all sides converging in unity. Creating collages in gouache has become a source of enjoyment for me, and I’ve attempted to use different art styles that fit well with this piece. This work resonates with me, reflecting the process of opening up, much like selecting our daily attire; I choose who I want to be for the day. There are moments when I see myself in shades of black and white, and then there are times when I embrace the more vivid and exaggerated version of myself, painted in vibrant colors. Additionally, there are also other special bits and pieces about me showcased in this drawing too. Everyone has their own persona palette, and I’ve tried my best to represent mine on paper.

This portrait is an insight of what it means, in my experience, to be Transgender. The orange background contrasts with the cool tones of the figure, implying that when you are Transgender, by default, you are an outlier. Despite the patterns in the background and jacket being the same, the person in the drawing still stands out. Looking closely, these same patterns are lightly drawn on the face and hair of the figure.

This piece was inspired by the constant uncontrolled wildfires that we had all around the world. I decided to paint this scene of desolation because I believe that there should be more done about climate change, whether it be reducing fossil fuels or disposing of waste correctly. This painting is also dedicated to all the firefighters and first responders who risk their lives to save others. Many likely have families to return to, and yet they continue to provide crucial support, and that is something everyone should recognize. Some details in the painting include the burnt car on the left, the trees on the right, and the deer fleeing from the flames. The car represents the effect of climate change on humanity, while the trees and deer represent the effects on our environment and other inhabitants.

This artwork I made with the intention of displaying my full and true emotions regarding art. The piece was made with my best attempt at not focusing on the end result and committing to the process of the art. The artwork was made as a sort of ode to my best friend, who I derive a lot of inspiration from, and myself. The piece is titled optical regurgitation as it feels like a sort of visual representation, or regurgitation, of all the things I love most about art and all that inspires me within art. This piece helped me explore my freedom as an artist and to do this within it many different mediums were used such as acrylic paint, collage, colored pencil, ink, graphite, alcohol markers, and more.

This piece is dear to my heart because of what it represents. My father was quite the story teller as a child, telling all about Hindu Mythology. I steadily became really invested in the Indian Epic, the Mahabharat. It is a hero's journey style story about 5 brothers going to war with their 100 cousins over the throne of Hustinapur. In the story, the middle brother, Arjun, is particularly strong, the strongest warrior of the Kuru Princes. He later marries a half snake, half human, Naga, or for women, Nagini, named Uloopi. She eventually gives her life up for Arjun, by taking her Nagamani, a jewel from the middle of her forehead made to keep her forever young, to sacrifice her life for her husband’s. Her story has always stuck out to me, even though it is a simple part of the epic. So when I was given the opportunity for my first sculpture, I chose to make a nagini. I was given two weeks to sculpt her, and I started with the marbling of the clay. I simply took different colors of clay and smashed them together by throwing them at the ground. I then sculpted her tail, and then her torso, and finally, her head and hair with the combined clay. The outer layer formed one color, meaning that once sculpted, I had to slowly scrape away the outer color of the tail in order to get the marbled effect on the tail that makes the snake pattern.

Moonface is a reclamation of my Asian heritage, and a practice in self love. The term “moon face” can mean many things. It’s a medical condition. In some places, it’s used as a derogatory term against Asians. In other places, it refers to natural, ethereal beauty. To me, it has always been a term of endearment, used by my family to celebrate and admire the features inherited from our Japanese ancestors– a round face, glowing skin, a soft nose. As a mixed race kid, it’s hard to feel love for every part of yourself, especially when it feels like everyone wants to tell you what you can and can’t be. Moonface takes my identity from the hands of others and returns it solely to me. By painting the moon over my face, I choose to love and accept my features, the European ones and the Asian ones. I choose to take the beauty of the moon, revered in many cultures, and use it to embrace one of my insecurities, my face shape, turning it into a celebration of my past and future. I choose to reclaim the term “Moonface,” and all the good and bad that comes with it. I choose to turn a narrative of othering and restrictive beauty standards into a story of acceptance, positivity, and confidence. Moonface is a painting of me, made for me, by me, celebrating me, and all who came before.