Working on a new WIP, but here’s a practice oil painting that I did fairly recently! Funnily enough, I only realized how much I like painting flowers by looking through my old pieces.
This work is one I’d pair with my poem “Empty Desk”:
A desk decorated bare but for a sea-green glass vase
filled with the two shiny stems of immortal flowers
and, sitting near, a small bottle of flower scented perfume.
Thus the flowers may live a day more
whilst the room remains.
This piece was actually the result of an assignment in my high school art class! We were meant to take direct inspiration from a famous artist, and as I was curious to further explore Chinese watercolor painting (which I tried before at Chinese school), my search led me to the artist Zhang Da Qian.
I was perhaps slightly ambitious here–the painting itself is approximately 22” x 29.5”, so it took quite some time to add in the detailing. It’s certainly not perfect, but this project has given me the motivation to continue painting larger and more detailed pieces (maybe with oil paint)!
“Transparent am I as the glass,” said the snake to the mouse at her front. “Trust, a sip you may take.” And she collected a drop of wine glistening scarlet to where it hung above her friend.
Enraptured, the mouse climbed for it, claws extended. His friend’s jaw slighted, and another droplet appeared in the same place.
He did see, then, the flame that reared its head under the snake’s own– but quiet he remained.
As the fire caught to her scales, the snake cried, “Ah, traitor! Why have you not warned me?”
To which the mouse asked: but was I the one? And off he scampered, back to his burrow, safe in the dirt.
Drawing: “Absurdist” by myself. This one was actually selected by my AP Literature teacher to be used in posters representing a school theatre production!
It’s the last month before my classmates and I graduate from high school, and while testing season is ridiculously stressful, I also feel that I’ve had significantly more free time recently. I’ve had a lot more time to focus on my hobbies— it’s wonderful.
My teachers have been amazing throughout my years at my current school, and the same goes for those prior. Imagine: junior-year teachers have to write over one hundred letters of recommendation and reference for students they had in a class a year ago, and senior-year ones have to deal with us kids who are stressed about college admissions.
My mom’s a teacher. She loves when she gets a word of thanks from her students and their parents, and with this week being specifically Teacher Appreciation Week and Sunday being Mother’s Day, I pulled out my watercolors and got to work.
My Statistics teacher adores tulips. My Literature teacher likes gardenias. And of course, my Environmental Science teacher loves nature (and especially orangutans).
I’ve finished two paintings thus far. Here’s to a busy weekend but a happy Monday— Happy Mother’s Day to all the moms out there, and to all you teachers, thank you again for everything you do for us.
RGS Journal 