Embrace the Change
Pieces of My Self-Portrait
2023
Available
I don’t draw or paint figures. However, the figures I drew, collaged, and painted in the series are my intuitive exploration, representing instances that were significant to me from childhood to motherhood. I needed to embed them with mandalas to narrate my stories.
This series became my first body of work as I emerged from the creative block I experienced in 2022.
I felt vulnerable, but it was freeing.
Embrace the Change
Sometimes, life throws a curveball at us, and we do not have a choice but to embrace the change.
Growing up, I had never seen my dad fall sick, except once when he had the flu. I picture the scene of my seven-year-old self sitting beside him, feeling his rugged old blanket, and vaguely recalling our conversation about nitrogen and oxygen. He was a pharmaceutical rep who traveled often, so I cherished those bonding moments whenever we had the chance. Just around when I turned thirteen, my father suddenly fell sick and passed away from a cerebral hemorrhage. My mother was a homemaker and had to switch gears instantly to support her three small children. She taught sewing to women in the neighborhood and earned extra money by taking sewing projects on weekends. She was a strong, determined woman who pushed through her struggles and raised her children with faith and integrity.
Painting a mandala gives me a feeling of belonging and identity. Mandala drawing is a ritual practiced by women daily on the threshold of homes in the neighborhood I grew up in. Its ephemeralness signifies the ebb and flow of happiness and suffering. When I paint a mandala, it helps me create an avenue to connect with my childhood and honor the lost loved souls. Painting a mandala helps me find my inner peace.
Medium
Mixed Media on cradled board
Image Size
6" H X 12" W X 1.5" D
The artwork is original and signed. The painting is varnished for protection, wired, and ready to hang. No framing is required.