Art with a message for quake victims

One of the artworks I am most pleased with is Craving Happiness. I believe all Chinese will agree one of the most traumatic events in 2008 was the Sichuan earthquake. I was really shocked when I heard the news. The media images of the damage made me realise that we, as the luckier ones, must do something to help the victims. But as a student, I could donate only a small amount of money.

I decided to create an artwork to help inspire and encourage the victims and give them hope. I first did research on the internet to find out which elements I should include. For example, I decided to include hot air balloons and light bulbs to represent knowledge, which can inspire children to strive for higher achievements; sunflowers to represent hope and happiness; and pandas to represent Sichuan.

I made several drafts. I originally included only one panda in my picture, but then I drew three pandas doing different things. One panda is playing the flute, which shows the victims that they can produce beautiful songs in their lives. The other pandas are playing happily, amid a circus scene, showing friendliness and warmth. Furthermore, I decided to put three prints together instead of just one, since "three" - which represents 'endlessness' - is a lucky number for Chinese.

I deliberately used only three colors - red, yellow and blue to make the point that much joy can be found in simple things.

I chose to use dry point printing, a medium that creates multiple prints using the same cardboard, to convey the message that happiness is not confined to only one individual, but everyone can be joyful as long as we share happiness with others.

The Arts Ambassadors-in-School Scheme is organised by the Hong Kong Arts Development Council.

It encourages students to take their passion for the arts beyond the campus and into the wider community. The ambassadors will take part in a series of arts programmes during the school holidays.

Learn more about the Arts Ambassadors-in-School Scheme here