Happiness is… Having Hot Pot
By- Vivian Gao, Senior 2023 Food has always brought people together, and my family is no exception. Family meals provide an opportunity for family members to come together, strengthen ties and build better relationships. In our busy lives being together with family for food is really important, as old tradition used to be. In my acrylic painting, the composition is centered around the pot, reflective of how it brings my family together and gives us a chance to take a moment from our busy lives to enjoy each other’s company. Hot pot is a well-known Chinese dish, and we eat it for special occasions and holidays; it’s our version of a Thanksgiving turkey. For this painting, I have used the acrylic painting technique of layering. The beauty of acrylic paint is that it dries fairly fast (unlike oil paint). This means that you can paint a layer of acrylic on the canvas, wait for it to dry, then paint another layer over top. This method gave depth and richness to my detailed food painting. The project was Still life with a combination of observational drawings. For this I prepare the meal laid the table and planned my artwork. I’m so happy with the outcome. Instances like this become memories I recall fondly, and paintings like this show my appreciation for the opportunities I have to spend time with the people I love. I hope the viewer is filled with warmth or a newfound appreciation for the little moments in their life.
COVID Hang Back-2.5 years, One painting
By Aditi Manchanda- 2022 This is the story of my journey with one painting over 2 years. When I first started this piece, I was in 7th grade. Once I found out we were doing a still-life concept, I excitedly drew out what I wanted to paint. A big silver jug on a book, some fruit, and a quill in an ink pot. I kept painting every week with the intention of displaying my painting at the next Kalaa Exhibition. Little did I know at the time, the exhibition was not even going to take place. One fateful day in In March 2020, the school closed. At the time, we were told it would only be for a week but the break never ended. A couple of weeks later, art classes were switched online. For the next two years, I sketched watercolor painting and tried a bunch of other fun crafts all through a screen. Eventually, I forgot about my painting that lay in the art studio, incomplete for two entire years. When I finally returned to the studio in 2022, I was ecstatic. At the time, my interests had shifted from art and painting to fashion design. I wanted to make my own clothes and accessories which is what I ended up doing for a couple of months. Then, my teacher showedme my painting from when I was in middle school and I was bewildered at my choices. I was nothappy with what my 12-year-old self had picked. I found my selection amusing, my techniques were less refined than now, nevertheless completed a few left-out strokes and finished the work as I always feel the completion of the task is equally important With time, not only had my skills improved but have varied dimensions in the creative arena I thought completing it as quitting on anything is not the right choice to make. It was a selection right for a 12-year-old me and it was interesting to, let me finish that incomplete task which unfortunately COVID has taken away from all of us. In the end, I decided to stick with my painting as a reminder of how much growing up changed me.
Changing Our Wiring
By Saesha Sharda, Sophomore, 27 November 2021 Humanity does not have a lack of struggles, and nowadays chaos is dissociating into different parties, groups, and movements. Sometimes, it is important to take a step back and think about the basic things required to clear the chaos, and that is exactly what my artwork focuses on. I made this artwork for the Reflections Art contest 2021 for which I was awarded Merit of excellence. This art was an abstract representation of my thoughts. I chose watercolors and handmade paper as a medium. In my artwork, there are 4 beings shown in a setting of chaos. There are two beings pictured in the middle arguing, causing a ruckus. Being at the top, however, is productive and carries a friend across the crisis. Also pictured in the artwork is a neuron. The way neurons communicate is by passing on a message from the ends of the neuron, called axons. The arguing beings are not near the axons and therefore are not able to receive the message that is being relayed. Therefore, they are arguing, causing even more spread of confusion and chaos. The beings at the top, however, can receive that knowledge and are able to channel their love and empathy towards helping those who are struggling in the crisis. My artwork shows that the passage out of the crisis is through human compassion and that the ignorance of information does the opposite. Take for example the battle for LGBTQ+ rights around the world. Countless studies have shown that being queer is not a choice and that individuals in the LGBTQ+ community do not deserve to be discriminated against. This aspect represents the logical component. We can also listen to and learn from the experiences of LGBTQ+ individuals and empathize with their struggles. This aspect represents the empathetic component. Bigots who despise individuals of the LGBTQ+ community ignore the information, which leads to assumptions and the spreading of hate. We must clear the chaos by collectively looking at information and empathizing with others; We must change our wiring.
Periodt…! periods are not our weaknesses, but our strengths
By -Saesha Sharda, Grade 9th When I was a little girl, I was not really encouraged to talk about menstruation, especially in front of my older family members and relatives. Not only was I confused about why periods occur, but also why I wasn’t allowed to talk about it. Now that I’m older and know about periods, I can comfortably talk about them with my parents whenever I have questions or concerns. Menstruation is a fascinating process that happens to almost every single woman on the planet, and I don’t understand why women get shunned for talking about it. Periods are not ‘gross’ or ‘weird’, they’re pretty cool. We need to empower women and encourage them to stand up and talk about light-hearted things like periods, to other heavier topics. My artwork on women empowerment ties into the concept of women helping women. In my artwork, I have shown three women helping each other climb a cliff through a fire. The cliff represents the normal hardships women have to go through, and the fire represents how the outside world makes it harder for women to achieve these tasks. I have used acrylic paint to show a silhouette of the women the background is with acrylic textures. It is important we address things like this through artforms for expressions, I feel it is a step in the right direction. Women are awesome! But, I do understand that the older generation was raised to not talk about women’s’ issues and menstruation, but it is time that changes. Our periods are not our weaknesses, but our strengths; and it’s pretty cool that we get to go through this cycle that perpetuates the entire human species!
