When I look at these paintings, my eyes get lost in the folds and swirls of the shapes. This sense of being lost in the wonder and detail of the world was the principle goal of this piece. Named “Childlike Wonder,” I wanted to remind the viewer of the feeling of being small and fascinated with the simple things in life; for example, a yard spotted with flowers and a messy bed. The viewer is engulfed and enveloped into the relatively large frames, overwhelmed by the many details to look at.

I feel a sense of peace when I view these paintings. To me, this kind of peace harkens to a state of childish innocence and calm. Most children do not wonder if the purple flowers are Creeping Charlie and if they will take over the whole yard of grass. The child simply thinks: “Ooh, purple flowers!” and continues being enraptured with their beauty.

My wish is that the viewer of this diptych may be transported to a peaceful, curious and joyful state of mind.

To create this narrative assignment for my sculpture class, I was inspired by the Greek myth of Persphone. I chose one recognizable element of the myth, the infamous pomegranate, to invoke a memory of the tale as a whole. By using this one symbol of the story, I explored the emotions behind Persephone’s choice to damn herself in one of the narrative scenes. Rhinestones assign monetary value to the pomegranate as well as themes of sensuality and desire. By using such a “valuable” material, the piece suddenly feels gravitational and irresistible. In this form, Persephone’s choice doesn’t seem unreasonable. The bedazzled pomegranate is beautiful and magnetic – it begs to be eaten, or at least admired or touched. I sculpted the pomegranate heart out of ceramic and decorated it with colored slip. After I sealed it in a shiny glaze, I used plastilina to create surfaces upon which the individual rhinestones could be affixed using glue.

I’m fascinated by the idea of representing common but impactful moments in time-consuming mediums, such as oil paints. This piece depicts an ice cream cake that was eaten at my friend’s birthday party, immortalizing the memory of that moment. Using oil paints, I achieved a vibrancy and thickness to the paint, which helped to communicate the texture/color of the frosting on the cake.

Birthdays carry so much weight to them. When viewing this painting, one could almost feel the childlike excitement and anticipation that builds up before blowing out the candles or opening presents. With the glowing luminescence of the piece, it is hopeful and charged with intrigue. Because the cake is in an undefined and dark place, there is also an ominous feeling in the background, reminding me of the common fear of getting older. Without any hands in the image, the scene is mysterious, causing the viewer to wonder what is beyond their sight and if anyone showed up to the party at all. The painting feels both celebratory and disappointed, just like how birthdays can feel in real life.

My favorite detail in this piece is the whipped cream border. I love how it swirls and the contrast between the white cream and darkness of the shadows.

Valuable was created as a “self portrait without a face.” Painted in my second year of high school, this painting reflects how I saw myself presenting myself to the world at the time. The gaudy frame is a symbol for how I hid my inner self behind the armor of a seemingly golden and perfect exterior. Through the ornate details, one could forget to look at what is really in the center of the frame. There, a bitten strawberry sits to show the internal hunger I felt to fill the frame I had given myself. The cracked glass showed my unhappiness with that feeling of insatiable desire to be greater than I perceived myself. Affixed upon a gray background, the frame appears to be hanging on a wall. Because of the imaginary room created by this layout, the frame can become different decorations, like a mirror, reflecting back the viewer as a strawberry, or a window into a nearly empty world.