in full color
Watercolor, Watercolor pencil, Canvas, Acrylic paints
Size: x cm x cm
As an Artist, I chose the theme “Archive of my girlhood” for my IB portfolio, exploring memories and what they mean to me and other girls around me. Inspired by Maddie Duda, a young artist who uses themes of nostalgia and the bittersweet nature of memories, I used myself as a model and explored her style of pastel colors and glitter. This style is very stereotypically “girly,” which is out of my comfort zone, pushing me to explore my memories through a different lens and helping me embrace my girlhood. After my first attempt in acrylic, I recreated the piece in watercolor. The watercolor piece represents how different mediums would need different processes to reach the same result, just like in life.
the animals
Digital Photography, Glossy paper, Acrylic markers
45 x 45 cm
I've had stuffed animals since before I was born, and every place I go, I leave with a new pushed friend. They have been a part of my girlhood the same way they have been part of many of my friends’ girlhoods. I wanted to capture that coincidental similarity between girlhoods. The doodles and fantasy of the toys, as well as connecting them more to the rest of my pieces
the tea party
Ceramic, glaze, acrylic marker, sealant
x cm, x cm
As a little girl, I had this mini tea set painting kit gifted to me, the little ceramic pieces became near and dear to my heart, and I started to carry them with me everywhere in a little wooden box. Over time, some pieces of the set broke or were lost: two mugs, three plates, and the teapot. I decided to replicate the broken pieces at a real-life size to complete the set while representing the girl I had become as I grew up, literally growing in size. Each teacup and saucer set represents a line of a poem I wrote for the piece: For the girl I was, the girl I am, and the girl I am going to be. The patterns for each line manifest what the event of the line, the teacup, represents.
the series of adolescence
Linocut on paper
30 x 120 cm
There are three versions of me: blue, pink, and purple. The blue represents my kid self, a time when life was simple and uncomplicated, unchanged and unscared. It is the foundation from which I have grown, and it is the foundation for every print in the series. The purple represents the small changes that I went through as I continued to grow up. The changes weren't drastic, visually represented since purple and blue are so close in colour, almost as if there is no difference. The pink calls for attention, and the changes cannot be denied, even though there seems to be little time between the pieces; there are drastic changes. The layers of purple have been covered and repressed. The full collage represents the person I am now, the layers of my old self showing through and all together all the changes and the scars to form me. All the colours are fully embraced.
The jar of captured shooting stars
Glass jar, Paper, Wax, Satin ribbon
x cm, x cm
Late at night, I would stay up and make little paper stars while my parents thought I was sleeping. My little twin bed, which was too big for me at the time, was right under the window, so I had a direct view of the stars as I made paper stars. Every once in a while, if I made a star while I saw a shooting star, it would be as if my wish was captured in the star, so I kept those stars in a special jar. Not only have I captured shooting stars along with my hopes and dreams, but I have captured that year of my life and the late nights of my innocent girlhood.
you are cordially invited…
paper, envelopes, acrylic marker
x cm, x cm
Over the years, one goes to many, many important life-affirming events. Besides the memory, the only tangible record is an invitation. I've taken a collection of 9 events that have happened or are going to happen in the coming years and created a summary of my girlhood's greatest events. I wanted it to seem like the audience is part of the events, the same way when you stroll down the greeting card aisle of the convenience store, like the events are on public display, they are a part of everyday life.
the photo album
Printed photos, Album book, Glitter, Acrylic, Stickers, Gems, Beads
x cm, x cm
Growing up, I was handed photo album after photo album of people's lives, my parents, my grandparents, someone's wedding, someone else's engagement. I wanted my own. I wanted one that had my life, my whole life in it. Decorated exactly as I would have imagined when I was 10.
the collective
Acrylic on canvas
x cm, x cm
For my final piece, I wanted to capture my journey, not just my girlhood, but to break the 4th wall and capture my journey in IB VA. Drawing a lot of inspiration from ___’s, at the dressing table, I made the painting my own by painting my dressing table, with all the nicknacks and pictures that surround my mirror. To represent my work in IB VA, I included two pieces, the tea party and the jar of captured shooting stars. This painting is a perfect conclusion to my body of work, it represents me right now, my skill, my works, my memories, and me. Every detail is necessary to form the person I am today.
