A young painter explains the ideas behind her portrait of a girl in headphones and what she saw through a telescope
Look Into Myself, a self-portrait painted by Christy NgWhen I was small, there were many scary conflicts in my family. When they happened, I would listen to music, using headphones to drown out the voices.
TV programmes and films tell us our society is full of jealousy and bad people. This is why I painted horrible scenes in the background.
Wearing headphones, I am looking into my future using a telescope. I ask myself, "What will I be in the future?"
Most people strive for a better future for their families. No matter how much the world changes and how bad it is, I still enjoy my life with my family and friends. I believe in fairytales because they bring me joy, and so in the telescope, I painted a girl flying with the key to success for people who try to protect their jobs and families.
The halo around me means I am not easily affected by others. I do my best to gain others' approval, but I do not feel depressed if they do not appreciate my work.
I am not talented at drawing, studying or anything, but I do put my heart and time into every task. This artwork may not be the best one I have painted, but I did put a lot of effort into it. Even if I do not have the best techniques and craftsmanship, I tried my best, through trial and error. I sought help from my teacher and learned techniques from her, such as mixing colours, drawing highlights and so on.
Through the process, I gained a lot. I used some famous artworks as reference and adopted the good ideas in them.
Also, I got to know more about myself. I was able to find my own way to look at society and discovered the characteristics of my painting technique. I shared my views and experience with other people. When I encountered problems, I learned how to solve them by myself but asked for help when I really needed it.
Painting has taught me a lot, and I enjoy it. I hope everyone will enjoy learning more about art to make themselves happy.