In oculus veritas
Michelle W.
Acrylic, pencil, colored pencils, gouache, pen, collage
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My grandfather suddenly passed away last fall in the midst of my own packed junior schedule and the complexities of family chaos. When this photograph taken by my grandmother hung on the mantel at funeral ceremonies, as according to Taiwanese tradition, I continuously bowed in desolation. The photo, chosen by my mom, pictured my grandfather grinning proudly, which ironically matched my mom’s and aunt’s smiles that kept up a facade until I looked into their eyes. Needing an outlet to digest my emotions, the painting came alive the morning my plane landed back from Taiwan. I wanted to capture the complexities of grief which juxtaposes silent resignation and performative agreeableness that I felt so lost by. The added collage pairing of beaming family photographs and disoriented expressions within their eyes encapsulates my first experience of losing family.
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Creativity means picking up a material to collage, stamp-print, or sew, and asking myself, “What can’t I do?” Though my ideas start off barely-processed at midnight, I come out of each piece exhilarated. With my stance changed and dimensions added, hours of creating acts as a continuous process of learning.
