Like a war, COVID-19 brought upon people devastation ranging from lost loved ones to struggling for money. I’m extremely fortunate since I can find solace in drawing and painting, as if my easel were a shelter from the battle against COVID-19. Thus, I drew myself crouching under my easel amidst a battlefield in Pandemic, a life-sized self-portrait.
Pandemic
2021
Ever since we were babies, my cousins and I were best friends. We ate, read, laughed and cried together in our neighboring apartments in Hong Kong so much that we seemed to live in both places at once. After I moved to Shanghai, we visited each other and stayed close. However, six years ago, they moved to Australia, and I moved to Los Angeles the next year. I still remember our tears of longing and helplessness the last time we met six years ago. We strive to stay in touch. Whenever our holidays coincide, we eagerly ask each other about any travel plans. We never lose hope that we’ll meet again someday. So, I drew swans, which symbolize love, being torn apart by my hand, which I drew from life. A swan is choked and embedded in it, showing lack of control. The other swan opens its beak and chases the hand in protest. Both swans’ spread wings show readiness to fight against separation, and, along with intersecting diagonals in the composition, imply that their paths will cross again.
Torn Apart
2019
This is a thank-you present for my first art teacher, who gave me the guidance and encouragement needed to start my artistic journey.
Mr. Hu
2021
I drew Grove Street Cemetery when my Basic Drawing class gathered at the cemetery near Yale. It reminded me of the happiness of being with others in person. Those buried in the graves, now only to be seen in memories, are just like our friends, now only to be seen through the screen.
Grove Street Cemetery
2020
When I was in Lishui, I was amazed at the beautiful Qing Dynasty architecture there. It wasn’t preserved by any museums, but by the townspeople, who used it in daily life. Chickens waddled around temples with air conditioning fans hanging on the walls, and the elderly sat in Qing Dynasty theaters with spotlights on the wooden stage. Here, history was no distant artifact; it was an important part of life. With this in mind, I made these drawings from life of a room of potted plants that the townspeople still tended to, old houses on a rocky wall covered in plants, a pavilion among residences on a hill, and an elaborate front yard. I used various mark-making and concentration of marks for a balance of detail and simplicity in the compositions. I also used more detail to emphasize the coexistence of the rural town’s modern-day features and traditional Chinese architecture in the Qing Dynasty buildings.
Lishui
2018-2019
While teaching children to draw in Lishui, a rural town in China, I saw a Spring Festival poster that read, “Peace and Harmony.” I thought that this aptly described the town, because when I saw the kids, playful and radiant smiles on their faces despite their families’ economic hardships, pointing out pretty scenery for each other to draw, and sharing snacks and materials, I could feel their unity and purity. One day, when it started pouring rain during the drawing session, a few families ushered all of us into their houses for shelter. Although we were strangers, they even made tea for our large group and chatted merrily while waiting for the rain to stop. I was touched by their open generosity and their happy peace. Even if one is poor, one can lead a life full of kindness, harmony and joy. So, I made this drawing quickly, using soft colors and Chinese calligraphy brush strokes for the people greeting each other to reflect “Peace and Harmony,” the Chinese setting and culture.
Neighbors
2019
Dreams are colorful and limitless. We can think of them from any angle and take them in any direction. They can be any size, as small as the myriad colorful dots or as great as the hazy bridge-like lines in this drawing. Everyone has the right to have a dream, no matter how ambitious, and to be passionate about something. In Wolverine Wellness, a club that I co-founded, students use art activities to help release stress, promote positivity, and support each other. One of the art activities is to draw our dreams. I hoped that it would encourage my peers to share and pursue our dreams, so I was very happy to see their smiles as they discussed their diverse drawings, abstract and realistic alike. One day, I played instrumental music while trying this activity for myself. As my pastels flowed and hopped across the paper in tune to the melody, perhaps my goal for this activity subconsciously weaved itself into the drawing so that it ultimately represents my interpretation of dreams.