Teacher Name: Ms. Burstein
Grade: 12

Materials: Photoshop, Wacom Drawing Pad

Dimensions: 22.29” × 12.74”
Description:

Artist Statement: The two first pieces accompany a story I’ve worked on for a year. It tells about anthropomorphic animals fighting for their identity and liberation from an oppressive regime of snake people. It’s a little similar to Zootopia but it’s dystopian. The story centers around themes of the harmful effects of colonization and how it is passed down through generational trauma and unjust systematic policies. The characters are symbols of real-life occurrences that happen in our world today. The next two pieces (a bust of a Mononykus and a pack of Dromaosaurs hunting an Edmontosaurus herd) were inspired by a documentary series called Prehistoric Planet. The designs of the dinosaurs were beautiful. The way they captured them felt as if they were still alive today. The documentary follows the same format as the Planet Earth series and tells a narrative of the animals surviving. I couldn’t help but try to paint them myself. The last piece is a comparison of my old art from 2014 to my art now. I was rummaging through art when I stumbled upon a sketch of a Guanlong I made on printer paper. I scanned the image and placed the drawing inside a new digital art piece I painted in photoshop. I drew the same animal on the opposite end as a way to provide the potential for comparison. Looking at my old art felt ignominious at first, but I then began to see the growth I’ve underwent as an artist. The experience was eye-opening introspection!

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