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National Silver Medal Project
Scholastic Art & Writing Competition

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Using ball point pens and various other mediums,how can I push the way I define self portriture?

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Using ball point pens and various other mediums,how can I push the way I define self portriture?

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I explored self portraiture and symbolic self portraits with ballpoint pens and other mediums. Through this process my definition of a self portrait has changed drastically. In (7) I drew myself in a way that resembles the way I look in real life. The only thing to interpret here is the facial expression and color choice which leads to no overarching conclusion. This is contrasted by (13) where I suggest my presence with a silhouette. The piece resembles the person I am rather than just my visual appearance. By incorporating bits and pieces of Chinese art history, I express the significance of my race to my identity. It is through the use of symbols such as the pagoda, temple, deer, and hunter that I am able to better describe the idea of myself to the viewer much more effectively than I would with a realistic drawing. In (13), The silhouette that my faces make resembles a Chinese porcelain vase. This was a way for me to further demonstrate the importance my culture is to me. By representing myself outside of realistic accuracy, I open new avenues of self representation that

demonstrate different aspects of myself

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How can I explore a variety of themes and subjects using identical media and format? 

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How can I explore a variety of themes and subjects using identical media and format? 

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I started this project to capture meaningful objects in my daily life as a set of watercolor polaroids, with each group having a different theme. I later expanded my themes to include places and people, to create a larger variety in the size of my subjects, although the 4 by 4 inch size remained the same. I shot several photos of each subject with different setups, then picked a final six. I came to prefer shooting my images in a square setting on my phone or camera, because they had a more organized final appearance than the rectangular images I cropped to use for the paintings. When I sketched my pieces for the final products, I removed areas that would distract from the subject, and erased dark lines to make sure the pencil did not change values of the piece. As I painted, I would change the background elements to increase focus on the main object or alter colors for a better fit with the rest of the theme.To have a more realistic-looking final piece, I learned to keep the detailing in the back of the piece, but use more extreme light and dark values when painting the subject. Lastly, I arrange and photograph them in a two by three grid based on their appearance as a group.

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How can I use form and shading to illustrate mental turmoil and struggles with self-control?

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How can I use form and shading to illustrate mental turmoil and struggles with self-control?

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Over the course of the sustained investigation, my style evolved from simply using humanoid figures and body parts to more abstract, less traditionally anatomical creatures. One consistent element within my investigation involves the heavy use of negative space around the main subjects in order to emphasize the idea that mental turmoil often overshadows all other thoughts. Additionally, I chiefly used graphite on white paper to portray the struggle to maintain self-control against darker urges or impulses. Though my planning was fairly consistent across my work, I often had to change certain elements of my pieces in order to convey exactly what I had in my head. One instance of such changes can be found in image 6, where I originally planned for the hand of the colored figure to squeeze the flesh of the black and white figure, distorting it past the point of realism. However, as I tried to implement this idea, it seemed out of place, and I found that removing the emotion from the colored figure's face conveyed the ingenuine nature of the hug that I wanted to get across.

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How can I use artistic form to represent Asian American perspectives in the pandemic?

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How can I use artistic form to represent Asian American perspectives in the pandemic?

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In my sustained investigation I sought to find a way to capture through art the experiences of the Asian American community during the height of the pandemic in the US, in part to document not just what happened but how it felt for Asian Americans and to help others get a sense of what it was like to be in our shoes. One element I revised the most across the investigation was the font and style of the Chinese characters which would be written over the photo composite, as well as the English words which appear in the individual portrait series. Initially both the Chinese and English text were supposed to be in the same image, but after experimenting with various methods of presenting the text, such as writing it directly on the physical masks or adding it in digitally after the photos were taken, it became clear that it would be best to divide the pieces into the main work featuring the Chinese text and the portrait singles with English to achieve the most effective impact. Since the individual portraits were not originally planned, it then took another cycle of experimentation to solidify how they should look, and significant practice across the twelve portraits to develop each.

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The flagship piece, featuring students who all currently attend or formerly attended PUSD.

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The annotated floor plan for an experiential installation presenting the work.

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From the Muffled Voices portrait series (see Artist Statement for more details).

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From the Muffled Voices portrait series (see Artist Statement for more details).

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From the Muffled Voices portrait series (see Artist Statement for more details).

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From the Muffled Voices portrait series (see Artist Statement for more details).

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From the Muffled Voices portrait series (see Artist Statement for more details).

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From the Muffled Voices portrait series (see Artist Statement for more details).

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From the Muffled Voices portrait series (see Artist Statement for more details).

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From the Muffled Voices portrait series (see Artist Statement for more details).

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From the Muffled Voices portrait series (see Artist Statement for more details).

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From the Muffled Voices portrait series (see Artist Statement for more details).

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From the Muffled Voices portrait series (see Artist Statement for more details).

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From the Muffled Voices portrait series (see Artist Statement for more details).

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How do I show the progression of climate change through acrylic paint?

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How do I show the progression of climate change through acrylic paint?

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My central investigation, “how do I show the progression of climate change through acrylic paint?,” was inspired by articles about climate change causes and effects from news sources such as CNN and CBS. I started with painting scenes of climate change effects in a small format to show the juxtaposition between the grand scale of climate change and how many people see it as small and unimportant. I put my paintings in the clean “cute” borders of a polaroid, to highlight consumerism’s contributions to climate change. After attempting to paint a hurricane in watercolor, I settled on a consistent medium of acrylic paint, both because of its supersaturated colors highlighting its artificiality, and its ability to layer for more detailing. After trying to paint on the polaroids, I found that watercolor paper (compostable and natural) had the best result. I felt that the paintings on their own didn’t draw enough attention, so I chose to create a virtual artspace where the pieces would be unavoidable. I used lasers to connect the pieces and give the space a sense of urgency and danger, and to emphasize the importance of social movement by making people walk from piece to piece.

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How can I photography lego to satirically capture the common feelings of quarantine such as restlessness, isolation and discovery?

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How can I photography lego to satirically capture the common feelings of quarantine such as restlessness, isolation and discovery?

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I chose lego as the focus of my concentration because legos are manageable, meant to be an escape from reality, which aligns with my portrayal of how tactile hobbies have provided a sense of control and comfort amidst unprecedented times.

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I experimented with depth of field and manipulation of scale by placing the mini pastries in the foreground to look lifesize

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I stretched a rule to six feet towards a figure in the distance to emphasize the feeling of isolation and the desire to connect with others

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How can I explore different elements of storytelling to create coherent narratives through design?

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How can I explore different elements of storytelling to create coherent narratives through design?

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This year, I explored storytelling techniques through line drawings. I created two series of works, images 1-5 and 6-11, which both focused on a specific element of storytelling to present a narrative. In the first set, I combined mundane situations with more fantastical elements to return interest to everyday activities. I was interested in the idea of narrative concepts becoming physical, ideas like specific worries becoming creatures. I used a cross-hatched style to create pieces with a less modern tone, despite their setting. In the second set, I focused on characters more than setting, starting to use digital media in order to experiment with depth and different types of coloring. In my last two pieces, I aimed to create an entire narrative in a single piece of artwork. I added more elements of setting and background to imply a wider story. To make it more lively, I incorporated three-dimensional objects and used a mixed-media approach. In the final piece, I used the same style as the first pieces, bringing my work full circle to show an entire narrative that combined the line elements I enjoyed from the first works with the full narrative concept in a more experiential work.

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How can I merge both unnatural and natural elements into one cohesive image?

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How can I merge both unnatural and natural elements into one cohesive image?

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I explored the idea of wonder and grandeur in a landscape through digital drawing. My work on slides 1 and 2 experimented with different materials and subjects, including man-made objects. The notion of drawing natural subjects virtually caught my eye as subject and medium would juxtapose each other. After the work on slide 4, I wished to revise my study. Wanting to emphasize the juxtaposition between subject and medium and between the subjects themselves, I merged natural and man-made elements into one cohesive image. Slide 7 displays this idea where sci-fi architecture is side by side with a natural landscape. Seeming too broad, I turned to reflection to narrow down my study. Reflection is a concept found in natural and unnatural settings. The left side piece on slide 11 experimented with having reflections coming off the water as well as the building. My work on slide 15 revised and narrowed down this idea even further where I removed the building and focused on the reflection in the water. I ended with the conclusion that using reflection I could create a cohesive image that blended unnatural and natural elements as well as capture the wonder of landscapes.