Top 3 lines
1/ Turbulent
When things get tough, I like to imagine myself as a sailor navigating through choppy waves. Somehow picturing it like this helps me to remember that there will always be a way out once the storm stills. The style of this is a cartoon like illustration of “friendly” looking waves to mimic how I feel about turbulent times, the tiny boat overwhelmed by the waves is a representation of me. As the phrase says “this too shall pass” as with everything, so do the turbulent times.
2/Exhaustion
The most exhausting periods of my life were those moments struggling through Chinese exams. This language though beautiful had been the bane of most of my time in school. I picked the chinese phrase 唉聲嘆氣 as I did do that quite a bit, and still do in times of exhaustion. To create this piece, I deconstructed the word ‘嘆’ to its very basic elements, and deliberately made the front portion to be tighter than the back to simulate the release of a sigh.
I really like this as I can totally identify with those lines in the strip of paper, every time I look at it I take a deep sigh secretly in my heart, expressing the exhaustion I feel now in school.
3/ Sensual
I was curious how something like a production or a music piece could be described as sensual, I’ve only seen it applied to people or objects (like lace!). After reading up on a couple of definitions & examples, I figured at the very root of it “sensual” must be something that is sensory. Perhaps a sensual piece of music could be the feeling of the melody touching your ears? Therefore I dipped my fingers in paint and rubbed over paper, almost similar to the action of caressing.
I like how compared to my other lines, this one was much more free spirited and textural as I used my fingers to paint.
Learning outcomes
I’ve learnt that it takes a lot more thought and time to really come up with something as simple as lines. That at times, certain art pieces may look deceptively simple but heart and effort has been invested to creating those works. Also, I learnt that lines are the building blocks of almost…everything! Even the alphabet are made up of lines, they are indeed everywhere.
On a personal note, getting to see my classmates interpretation of what each emotion means to them was something quite interesting for me as I had never expected such a varied result. To be absolutely honest, seeing the works of others made me feel a little small, as there were many fantastic results. I admired the way they could let loose and experiment with various mediums and methods, and even allowing the brush/pen to go as their emotions lead. I’ve also come to realize that I am a very controlled individual, hesitating to allow myself let go. I guess my biggest takeaway is that at times, experimenting without expectations can produce beautiful results, and it isn’t a waste of time. Also that there are many, many beautiful things in the minds of others, including my own and there is really no purpose in comparison.
