“Vol. 7, Hong Kong”

This was an exploration of my identity as an artist. As an artist, countless of my favourite pieces are done digitally with the help of digital tools such as filters, undoing, lasso, liquifying, layers, and more. My familiarity with these tools has developed an uncertain mindset towards traditional art and mediums. I created this piece with a graphic design style resembling a magasin but painted traditionally without the computer shortcuts I had grown accustomed to. The graphic design elements are added to an image painted from reference. This image was chosen because it represents my dad’s hometown; Hong Kong. It also had interesting lighting and composition, allowing me to practice several visual techniques including blurs, reflections, background lighting, and more. Chinese writing directly translated to “Hong Kong” was included to continue challenging myself by writing in a language my entire life has surrounded me, but not familiar with. Overall, I combine my opposing familiarity and unfamiliarity with two of the largest parts of my life: art, and my native language.