A minor Scholastics Comment.

I did a series and submitted it to Scholastics, and wanted to remark on how I feel about it.


My series of art deals with the aesthetic nature of different cultures. Each piece of art deals with a different culture, and the patterns and designs that are involved with each culture. I selected the countries or cultures for each piece because of their importance or value to me, or because I have a particular interest for that civilization. For example, I selected Singapore because I used to live there, and often recall memories from my past. I chose to explore the Aztec culture because it was my favorite of the three Ancient Central American cultures. I chose symbols from Japan because they exemplified the feelings I felt towards a close friend, and I chose Algeria because I am just, simply, curious about it.
I anticipate that people will have different reactions to my work. I hope some people exemplify the same curiosity that I felt while researching for each piece and that this curiosity encourages each person to learn about those who are different from them. I aim to amaze people with each intricate detail that was put in, and at how unique each piece is, by only using a country’s different aspects within their traditional works and textiles.
Art has always played a role within my life. At first, it was a fun activity that was an alternative to television and dress-up. However, as I grew older, my art became more and more personal. It told stories, it suggested interests, and it illustrated my life. When I finally entered high school, it occurred that each piece should always have a meaning behind it, for that is what truly makes it art. From then on, I thought about each piece I did as conveying something, even if it was as simple as “I love my cat.” As time passed, these meanings became more convoluted, more complicated to figure out, but the art that was produced along with now also had a deeper technicality. Presently, art plays a role in my life that allows me to express myself in a subtle way that I find more mysterious. Also, it plays its part as a stress reliever. In every day life, I find myself noticing compositional effects and color complimenting and it has caused me to realize that art plays its role as a way of life.