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The stigmatization of what art is “supposed to look like” continues to mutate throughout time. When looking at my piece, I want others to realize that art is more than realistic paintings, but instead to allow people to gaze through the lens of artists and feel the adrenaline that art gives them. This feeling is something that should be available to everyone and should not be subject to the singular ideology many have of what “art” truly is. My art is significantly influenced by my peers and the hectic lifestyle that continues to make life a bit more… interesting.

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To me, behind the closed door symbolizes something that is hidden, but that can be found by opening that door. When you move the threads on this canvas, what do you see that was originally hidden? A stranger. You even learn of his heritage, shown through the flag behind him. You learned something new about a stranger just by opening the door, and hopefully, moving through these threads gives you the courage to open a door in the real world. Open the door and get to know a stranger, even if it’s just to learn one thing.

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Yen is a graduating high school student struggling with their sense of identity physically and mentally. While struggling with themselves, they still choose to have a flowery outlook on life. This creates a contrast on her fading sense of self and her well defined view of everything else that surrounds her. The use of pastel on the acrylic represents their fading identity and awareness of self.

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The uncertainty of my own identity, envisioned through color and the abstraction of feelings. Often, I feel too wrapped up in my own mind, to the point of losing the clarity in my thoughts, which can lead to a distorted perception of the passing of time. I am simultaneously always changing, but also still the same person as I’ve always been.

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To me, "Behind the Door" refers to the lives of people that are hidden from everyone else. Their memories, feelings and emotions, all hidden behind a door. Sometimes, we don't have the 'key' to that door, yet we still judge people for their behavior, actions and choices. This may cause conflicts and misunderstandings between one other. As a result, the key for their door is lost forever and the paths are separated.

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"Behind the door" made me think of all the things we keep hidden. I wanted to explore what this could mean emotionally and show how I, personally, try to hide big emotions behind a blank face. After all, how can you tell if someone’s wilting or blossoming?

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This portrait embodies raw emotions we may keep away from the world at large. It displays a person, having cried most of their vivid makeup off their face. Still in the wake of this pain, the figure looks ahead with light in their eyes. Possibly looking forward, maybe remembering better times, or letting their feelings wash over them until they fade away.

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Self-portraits have been a topic I’ve fervently avoided, initially as a result of my insecurities, but this reason has evolved into another entity over time. Just who am I? - this age-old question has constantly occupied an area of my brain, of which this work is my attempt to create a response. I began with painting a representation of myself, dull and gray - reflecting my appearance to outside observers; quiet and reserved, looking towards an imaginary distance. How unexciting that was. And so, I reflected my soul onto the canvas, scribing its deepest manifestations out for you, viewer.

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I have spent numerous nights admiring my canvas ensuring that each part of this portrait had just enough texture, color, and detail. I ultimately decided to put my brush down, after I revealed this current product. This piece is dear to me because; it is me- just in a way that I see myself. Using a mixture of cool and warm tones, I have created a portrait of my internal self that helps me answer the question of “Who am I?” As an artist, I oftentimes find it difficult to identify myself in the art world, and in the physical world. With this portrait, I can display myself and my passion for art without ever having to display my real features, or skin color.

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With this piece, I wanted to convey the idea of a complex mind full of emotions. As each of us grow, we unlock different parts of ourselves revealing parts of ourselves we did not know before, good or bad. Behind the stage, behind that fixed lock, is a range of emotion, wonder, and even a little bit of chaos.

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What’s behind the door? Is it a new world? Your favorite amusement park? Or is it the uncertain future? I think that whatever is behind the door is unknown. To discover and find out what’s behind, you must open that door. We are born into the unknown and that is why there is so much we didn't and still don't know about the world. But curiosity is a gift we have with us to explore the unknown and it's what got us here in this advanced world. I want to represent a sense of unknown and curiosity through my painting. To have the viewer of my painting feel adventurous and bold enough to venture into their unknown. Will you step into your unknown?

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Two friends with similar stories. Some would say they look the same too, but they don’t see it. They move together, push and pull, attached at the hip. Yet they don’t fully understand each other. With time comes change, and they find themselves out of sync. It’s difficult for them to recognize each other, even though they are the same.

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I made this artwork to symbolize something, but I think it can have multiple meanings. I was personally feeling badly about myself at the time, which inspired the piece. The small reflection in the mirror represents the version of me that I thought I was at the time. The mirror in this piece can also convey the appearance of a doorway between perception and reality. Perception being the appearance one has to oneself in a mirror, and reality being what truly exists.

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I’m not that great. I scrapped this painting. I just took out a new canvas and restarted. In the end, it looks like this, and I like it. But the original piece isn’t a failure. Sure, it’s hidden in a closet right now, but I see it when I look at this one. I took from that first try. And like the person in this portrait who’s meant to be me, though I failed and fell, I kept going and reaching for what I wanted, and I achieved it. So, what’s behind the door? Just a lot of work, honestly.

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What’s “Behind the Door?” When we think about something behind a door, we wonder: “What's on
the other side of that darkness?” What's locked up so deep and far away? To me, it means opening
up and exploring the inner part of myself that seems to be untouchable and secured away. In my
art, I drew roses because they represent love, beauty and courage. This piece was inspired by the
song “bubble gum” by Clairo where she says “pink flowers grow from my skin,” The past two years,
I’ve felt like I’ve been hiding myself under a mask, that I’ve been using a mask as my identity. I
want my artwork to express the beauty of finding the courage to unravel a part of myself that I’ve
never known was there. The roses come up from underneath when the mask is lifted. The roses
are meant to express the beauty underneath all of us. The roses are meant to help us find
confidence in ourselves, instead of constantly feeling the need to cover up. I hope that my piece
inspires viewers to feel confident in their skin and find the beauty in themselves.

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We as humans often have different faces and masks we put on when interacting with people. When we bring out or downplay parts of our personalities to match their energy and feel like we belong, these facets of our personality seem to contradict and feel disingenuous. It is these feelings that I hope to convey in my piece. I wanted to think about the balances in myself. Items like machines and plants seem to be in contrast, and in that way, my identity is similar. Aspects of my personality come into conflict, like when plants grow in old machinery and restrict the cogs. When looking at my piece, I hope the viewer can reflect on themselves and accept different facets of their personality that they may feel are contradictory and accept them.

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Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint " follows Kim Dokja, who becomes an "omniscient" reader, as the world before him turns into an apocalypse--the same apocalypse he has been reading for 10 years. In those 10 years, he struggles with his identity and his loneliness. The same can be said about the youth of our modern world. In my piece, I want to showcase these ideas using my identity as a Bengali-American, with inspiration from the novel. it. Though my piece can't be described in words, please take a moment to interpret it as your own.

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This piece captures a feeling of growth that is almost indescribable with words. It is a portrait with warm tones in the flowers, face, and body to contrast the cool earthy tones of the background and leaves. The green-blue background is dark toward the inside and fades to a lighter shade for a shadow effect. Acrylic paint was used for the majority, with additional synthetic flowers for a physical change in texture rather than an illusion of it given with paint.

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My original plan for this portrait was to paint myself painting a painting of me painting a painting, where each portrait inside the painting would show a step of the process. I wanted to show the different steps of art making that people don’t often see as they only see the finished product. As I worked on my portrait, I struggled every step of the way. I painted over a flawed sketch and painted over it again multiple times. I wasn’t able to finish, but I decided to leave it as it was since it still supports my original message.

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What is hidden here? Nothing much, I would say, but many themselves. Intention? Personality? Scars? The Truth? What are they really hiding behind those eyes? But is it the eyes that are hiding something? Is the body hiding it? Within themselves? Or is it contained within the clothing that they are wearing? Her hair? Or that necklace? Or just everything, the thing itself? Nothing, but hidden things…