BLUE HOUR
IB VISUAL ARTS EXHIBITION
no matter where
Actinic Ray Collection (1/2)
Acrylic Marker and Spray Paint on Canvas
50cm×50cm
Inspired by the Mirror Dimension (Dr. Strange, Marvel), I wanted to show that the environment of memories can merge together and yet be very clear because of the people involved in it. Knowing that I will have to leave the people and places I have known for 10+ years has made me treasure even the most mundane moments. I wanted to represent the simple things that happened this year that I know I will treasure.
Preliminary sketches & Idea Development
As a person who loves movie, this piece was inspired by the Mirror Dimension presented to audience in the movie Dr Strange. In my interpretation of the mirror dimension, I see it as a place where the environment collides into each other. In this scene of Dr Strange, we can see that the roads look separated but still connects together. I wanted to do something similar. For this piece, I wanted to show that the environment is not as important as the people you are with. Time moves on and people may drift apart and yet the one thing that will always still the same is the memories you have shared with people
The original sketches were done with pencil before transferred onto procreate. Using the “technical pencil”, I was able to produce a sketch that looked similar to my plannings done on the tracing paper. Once the positions were finalised. I outlined the creation with the use of the “technical pen”, which gave me a thick but clear view of how the piece would look like when I finish this line art with acrylic markers.
Development Process
I used both procreate and pencil sketches to figure out how to merge the environment from each section. I sketched each scene onto tracing paper using a pencil. Like a jigsaw puzzle, I then overlapped the tracing papers, to find a nice and smooth transition between each of the environment.
Scribble/Line art
I decided to do a simple scribble/line art, to show that things do not have to be complicated. Life can just be plain and simple, those memories could be the ones you treasure the most. Being a senior in high school and getting ready to leave the school and the people I have grown up with for 14 years, has forced me to see the importance of the mundane, because it could be the last time I experience this place with these people. I wanted to use simple line art to represent the mundane memories that have turned into some of the best moments in the last year of high school.
Before finalising and creating the actual piece.I also tried to practice individual scene on other canvases. So that I could figure out the exact way scribble style I would like to use.
Fluorescent spray paint
Originally, I wanted to create the piece with one single colour, but after careful consideration, I decided to experiment with the use of fluorescent spray paint and the use of blue/UV light. In order to show the person connection to all of these memories. I used a stencil I had created for another piece and used green and yellow fluorescent spray paint to put the outline on the white segments of the painting. At the same time, I also created a free-hand stencil of my name to add a more personal element into the piece. Showing that these snippets are my memories and is something that I own, and will never be taken away from me.
Click to view the painting with and without actinic ray
This is the “actinic ray collection”
Although these are separate pieces, they stand out from the rest of my exhibition, which is why I decided to collectively name the two the “actinic ray collection” because they incorporate the use of UV light. However, the meaning of these pieces contradict each other, in “all around me”, the piece highlights how the memories from each location has impacted me, every place I travelled has left a mark on my memory that I know I will treasure forever. On the other hand, “no matter where” emphasises on how location is not important if you are with the right people, as memories are made with the people and not with the place.
