PORTFOLIO

PENCIL SKETCHES

In these pencil sketches, I focused on the theme of ‘lavishness’, contrasting it with everyday life. In this first sketch, I added more detail to the people in casual clothing to showcase the theme of everyday life. I added some detail to the fancy restaurant, but not the full building and highlighted the lavishness of it with the butler at the entrance. The viewer’s focus is centred towards the people, which allows them to appreciate the everyday life of the people while still hinting at the presence of luxury in the scene.

I shaded and added detail to the woman in elegant attire, whilst the regular, affordable restaurant was left blank, in order to emphasise her luxurious presence. You can capture the vibrant energy of a bustling street through her body language and facial expression of focusing on where she needs to go.

ACRYLIC

I used a palette knife to create clean, sharp lines, as well as a sponge so the colours would blend well into each other.

TEXTILES

I was inspired by the textile artist, Ana Tereza Barboza for this piece.

I decided to embroider a photo of the sunset on a field across my neighbourhood, as I wanted to evoke a sense of tranquility, and embroidery is seen as a peaceful activity and similarly, sunsets give a calm atmosphere.

I added dangling thread to this piece as I wanted to also add a sense of life by creating movement, as if the grass is swaying in the breeze and the sky is melting into the ground. I also chose to add felt and cloth in the background to add a sense of comfort and familiarity to the piece, which again reinforces the tranquil atmosphere. The texture of the felt and cloth symbolizes warmth and coziness, which can be seen as inviting to the viewers. 

BIN BAG ROSES

For this piece, I started off with a soap bottle, but I wanted to completely change the appearance of it, so I focused on the word ‘wrap’ to transform it. Using bin bags opposes the beauty of the original soap, yet is created into something considered beautiful – the roses. 

BLACK & WHITE WITH GOLD LEAF

Black & white photography with gold leaf added to explore the allure of contrast

ACETONE IMAGE TRANSFER WITH GOLD LEAF

Acetone image transfer on drawing with gold leaf 

GOLD BIN BAG

In this piece I wanted to explore how luxury and high quality can contribute to a culture of excess and waste due to the desire of impressing others with their wealth. This reminded me of bin bags, how they represent the discarded and the utilitarian, opposing luxury, yet can be associated with items that are no longer deemed valuable.

OBJECT ADAPTATIONS

GOLD STILL LIFE

The gold disfigures the objects, making them look more appealing and almost valuable, when in reality they hold the same functions as before. I wanted to symbolize how in society, value is placed on appearances rather than substance.

CUP WITH GEMS

Similarly, this enhances the cup as the dazzling gems distract the viewer from the state of the cup.

CERAMICS

This piece symbolises the fusion of natural elements from the clay with the refined beauty of the pearls.