Teacher Name: Gabriel Mejia
Grade: 12
Materials: Colored pencil, charcoal, water color, varnish
Dimensions: 9” × 9”
Description: Ink spilling out of the pen because I am mad I can’t choose multiple answers
Artist Statement: The pieces in my portfolio are all related, in which I am representing what it feels like to be mixed (Filipino and Dutch) and looking more into my Filipino side. I wanted to express something that many people struggle with but no one really talks about. Being mixed means that I can’t identify as one single thing and it becomes hard for me to be proud of my culture or be encapsulated in it. Many people only recognize my caucasian side which makes me really struggle with my identity even more. In my artwork, I tap into my Filipino side to explore how it would be if I had more of that culture embedded within my life. One question that drove one of my pieces is “how does food from each ethnicity impact me?” I used many mediums for each art piece such as watercolor paint, oil pastel, charcoal, digital work, markers, and what I feel I “specialize” in, colored pencils. Ironically, I don’t like coloring because I feel that it ruins the piece, after sketching. However, I feel I can control my art better with colored pencils and I enjoy blending two shades or colors as well.
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