School of the art institute of Chicago -
is ranked among the top 10 art and design schools in the world by QS World University Rankings.
15 November 2023 at 10:00PM
I'd like to preface talking about my collection/portfolio with two ideas,
In school, I was frustrated by the lack of creativity in classes. It always made me feel weird to see the contrast between young kids being so imaginative and true abstract thinkers alongside older kids or adults who seemed to have lost all that inquisitiveness. The things kids notice about the world are always so captivating but grown-ups look past them. They look past humanity in it's purest form.
I realised that when I'm told to do things a certain way, it makes me want to do everything but that to avoid limiting myself but ironically, that is still limiting. Think of it like this, if you learn how to do it and you follow, you're inside the box. If you learn how to and you DON'T follow, you're outside the box. So I figured, What if there is no box whatsoever?
What comes from approaching things with no context? What if I was never taught how to paint at all? What would I paint?
My first collection, 'Kids Saw Ghosts', is executed in a child-like no prior knowledge approach and talks about some childhood experiences that intrigue me;
Imaginary Friends.
Seeing Shapes/Faces in Clouds and in other random patterns.
The last pages of my school notebooks which when read years later reminded me of such fond memories much more so than whatever was the actual content of the notebook
Objects I was attached to as a kid.
Growing up and the internal struggles that came with that.
The Portfolio starts off with the first few pieces I ever made (with the same stationary that I had since I was in grade school) with no direction in mind at the time, looking at all of those together I realised what I wanted my first larger set of works to be about. Things started to take direction, headshots of characters that come from nowhere became a commonality unintentionally, as the collection built so did my concept, It's almost like every few pieces that I finished made the previous ones make more sense. Which is why I truly call this a collection. Every piece was built off of the one before it.
The Practice:
The first few layers were usually executed with mere intuition, using impressions, random placements, phrases and just letting my hand flow wherever it wanted to, once I saw a character within the randomness, Intentions came into play. I would make sure to define the character as soon as I saw it and then built up around it. Finally the aspect I focused on is directing the viewers eyes through the whole painting, Being visually cluttered to the eye at first sight yet composed the right way with color balance were the two standards I tried to meet. So, as soon as there was a character, a good color composition and visual chaos I knew I was done.
That's about all I could get into with 500 words.
Trapr 2022
Entry Wristband, Marker, Poster Paint, etc.
34.5cmx27.4cm, Drawing Paper
The first piece I made that ended up giving me the direction for the collection.
Within this piece I found aspects that would show up through the rest of the collection i.e. Disturbing Faces, Visual Chaos, Bold line across the canvas, Paper Cutouts and Barcodes.
He's okay 2022
Poster Paint, Aerosol, Pastels, Color Pencil, etc.
27.4cmx34.5cm, Drawing Paper
Second piece I made. This is what made me realise that even though I was never any good at the painting/drawing classes at school, I was onto something that I just had to elaborate further.
Adult Arcade 2022
Arcade Tickets, Aerosol, Pastel, Poster Paint, etc.
34.5cmx27.4cm, Drawing Paper
Won some arcade tickets about a year before this was made, they weren't enough to cash-in for anything of value so I told my friend that we should just keep them and that I would use them for something. All I can say is this is far more valuable to me than the pencil sharpener we would've won.
This is also how I see kids in an arcade and I mean that positively, They either win or whine and are like blood hungry for those tickets.
The Third Wheel 2022
Poster Paint, Sketch Pen, Pastel, Aerosol, etc.
27.4cmx34.5cm, Drawing Paper
Two friends of mine who were dating at the time were at my house arguing in the other room, It reminded me of overhearing my parents fighting in the house when I was a kid. I had just started painting more regularly and this is simply what flowed from me that day.
First Addiction 2023
Pokemon Card, Acrylic, Pastel, etc.
34.5cmx27.4cm, Drawing Paper
I had this pokemon card in the back of phone case for years, It was my favorite one when I was a kid, I took it everywhere and thought of it as lucky.
Thinking back on those times I realised that buying those cards was truly my first addiction.
That card always brought a wide smile to my face so I guess one could call this a self portrait.
Calling Out 2023
Acrylic, Charcoal, Pastel, Marker, Acrylic Marker, etc.
14.8cmx20.8cm, Acrylic Painting Paper
I spilt my bowl of dirty paint water on my table and instead of cleaning it up with a tissue or cloth I took it's impression onto this paper and immediately, Kids Saw Ghosts.
Clever Boy - A Theif 2023
Acrylic, Pastel, Paper, Acrylic Liner, Aerosol, etc.
28x22 Inches, Heavy GSM Paper
This piece along with the next one are the defining points of the collection. They encapsulate and consist of every single aspect I wanted in the collection.
Forbidden Innocence 2023
Acrylic, Pastel, Paper, Acrylic Liner, Aerosol, etc.
28x22 Inches, Heavy GSM Paper
Like I said, This piece along with the previous one are the defining points of the collection. They encapsulate and consist of every single aspect I wanted in the collection.
Robinson 2023
Acrylic, Acrylic Liner, Pastel
24x18 Inches, Stretched Canvas
This piece has so many layers of work under it, I essentially worked intuitively until, Kids Saw Ghosts.
I absolutely love the structure on this one.
Changes 2023
Acrylic, Aerosol, Pastel, Marker
Diptych (22x22 Inches each), Heavy GSM Paper
The words on the left side of this page was me finally adding some direct context within the piece itself, It talks about being in your teenage years, looking back at how innocent and pure the younger you was.
I repeated 'This is serious' across the whole thing simply because this was a very nostalgic day for me, I was thinking back and feeling lost and in that moment I wanted to be taken seriously for the kind of art I was making because i was noticing many people only looking at it on the surface, but I now realise that that is part of the job description as an artist.
I also do really love the composition of this one.
The Other 2023
Acrylic
13.5x20 Inches, Thick Wood Panel
The concept of 'The Other' was something me and my friends talked about often. It's essentially that there are things/people you know and
things/people you know you don't know.
But there is always the other, what/who you don't even know that you don't know.
We always said beware of the others. But now I realise, you just have to be aware of the others.
This is the personification of that concept.
Self Titled 2023
Acrylic, Post-its, Magazine, and more
36x30 Inches, Streched Canvas
Title Piece for My First Collection; Kids Saw Ghosts.
Like albums have Title Tracks, I felt like this collection needed a Title Piece to show the thoughts I was going into executing this collection with.
In a Gallery Context, This piece would be the last one, by itself, in the center of a large wall. To tie together the rest of the show and have a "Oh, It all makes sense now" moment.
This is also the last piece from the collection for this portfolio.
Rhythm 0 2023
Paper, Acrylic, Pastel, Aerosol
22x28 Inches, Heavy GSM Paper
Referencing Rhythm O; The Performance Art Piece by Marina Abramovic
Archived 2023
Acrylic, Paper, Paper, Insulated Therma Bi-
15x22 Inches, Stretched Canvas
After making 'Self-Titled' from my first collection knew it was done. By this point I was learning more about painting and wanted to start experimenting with a different style and textures.
Mentally, I wasn't out of the concept of childhood nostalgia just yet which is why the last page from one of my notebooks from 2nd grade is the focal center of this one.
It was a change in direction. It felt like I was onto the next stage in my practice.
Ladders 1 2023
Acrylic
20.8cmx14.8cm, Acrylic Painting Paper
I like this one enough to put it on here with no context
Green Bonsai 2023
Post-its, Acrylic, Acrylic Liner
10x10 Inches, Streched Canvas
This was me learning composition outside of the concept of the collection.
Farm 2023
Acrylic, Pastel, Acrylic Marker, Post-its
10x20 Inches, Stretched Canvas
Experimenting. Working on honing my enlar and comacition skille
Her Lipstick 2023
Acrylic
20x10 Inches, Stretched Canvas
Executing textures. I was learning more about how acrylic works. I started working on the collection essentially as soon as I started my practice so I never really got the chance to explore my medium in a different context.
Bridging The Gap 2023
Acrylic, Aerosol, Charcoal
20x20 Inches, Streched Canvas
This piece is separate from everything else and I do not remember making it.
I'll explain, I had turned my living room into a studio, got rid of the sofas and everything else, It was just work benches and materials everywhere so there was no resistance in me painting whenever I wanted to. I woke up in the middle of the night to (what I'm assuming was) get some water, I'm not sure what happened during the walk from the bedroom to the kitchen but I made this essentially in my sleep. I woke up the next morning having no recollection of making this. Everyone I've asked for what they see in it says something different. I ofcourse, have my perspective but this is a work that even I can’t claim to understand. I think for that reason it may be my best.
*************************
the time I spent painting was a very isolated sort of time. I wasn't really showing my work because I did not need any opinions or thoughts with this venture, I knew what I was trying to do and there was simply no need for external opinions or validations. I wasn't selling these, I wasn't putting them up on ig or nothing. so… this is the only validation I've recieved, and being accepted into —— the no.1 fine arts program in the US was.. BIG howeverrr — as so it happens I was unable to go due to financial constraints so now I just sit knowing I could've gone to the uni kanye went to. now you know this too. how fun :)
What follows is the portfolio that got me admitted to SAIC.
School of the art institute of Chicago -
is ranked among the top 10 art and design schools in the world by QS World University Rankings.
15 November 2023 at 10:00PM
I'd like to preface talking about my collection/portfolio with two ideas,
In school, I was frustrated by the lack of creativity in classes. It always made me feel weird to see the contrast between young kids being so imaginative and true abstract thinkers alongside older kids or adults who seemed to have lost all that inquisitiveness. The things kids notice about the world are always so captivating but grown-ups look past them. They look past humanity in it's purest form.
I realised that when I'm told to do things a certain way, it makes me want to do everything but that to avoid limiting myself but ironically, that is still limiting. Think of it like this, if you learn how to do it and you follow, you're inside the box. If you learn how to and you DON'T follow, you're outside the box. So I figured, What if there is no box whatsoever?
What comes from approaching things with no context? What if I was never taught how to paint at all? What would I paint?
My first collection, 'Kids Saw Ghosts', is executed in a child-like no prior knowledge approach and talks about some childhood experiences that intrigue me;
Imaginary Friends.
Seeing Shapes/Faces in Clouds and in other random patterns.
The last pages of my school notebooks which when read years later reminded me of such fond memories much more so than whatever was the actual content of the notebook
Objects I was attached to as a kid.
Growing up and the internal struggles that came with that.
The Portfolio starts off with the first few pieces I ever made (with the same stationary that I had since I was in grade school) with no direction in mind at the time, looking at all of those together I realised what I wanted my first larger set of works to be about. Things started to take direction, headshots of characters that come from nowhere became a commonality unintentionally, as the collection built so did my concept, It's almost like every few pieces that I finished made the previous ones make more sense. Which is why I truly call this a collection. Every piece was built off of the one before it.
The Practice:
The first few layers were usually executed with mere intuition, using impressions, random placements, phrases and just letting my hand flow wherever it wanted to, once I saw a character within the randomness, Intentions came into play. I would make sure to define the character as soon as I saw it and then built up around it. Finally the aspect I focused on is directing the viewers eyes through the whole painting, Being visually cluttered to the eye at first sight yet composed the right way with color balance were the two standards I tried to meet. So, as soon as there was a character, a good color composition and visual chaos I knew I was done.
That's about all I could get into with 500 words.
Trapr 2022
Entry Wristband, Marker, Poster Paint, etc.
34.5cmx27.4cm, Drawing Paper
The first piece I made that ended up giving me the direction for the collection.
Within this piece I found aspects that would show up through the rest of the collection i.e. Disturbing Faces, Visual Chaos, Bold line across the canvas, Paper Cutouts and Barcodes.
He's okay 2022
Poster Paint, Aerosol, Pastels, Color Pencil, etc.
27.4cmx34.5cm, Drawing Paper
Second piece I made. This is what made me realise that even though I was never any good at the painting/drawing classes at school, I was onto something that I just had to elaborate further.
Adult Arcade 2022
Arcade Tickets, Aerosol, Pastel, Poster Paint, etc.
34.5cmx27.4cm, Drawing Paper
Won some arcade tickets about a year before this was made, they weren't enough to cash-in for anything of value so I told my friend that we should just keep them and that I would use them for something. All I can say is this is far more valuable to me than the pencil sharpener we would've won.
This is also how I see kids in an arcade and I mean that positively, They either win or whine and are like blood hungry for those tickets.
The Third Wheel 2022
Poster Paint, Sketch Pen, Pastel, Aerosol, etc.
27.4cmx34.5cm, Drawing Paper
Two friends of mine who were dating at the time were at my house arguing in the other room, It reminded me of overhearing my parents fighting in the house when I was a kid. I had just started painting more regularly and this is simply what flowed from me that day.
First Addiction 2023
Pokemon Card, Acrylic, Pastel, etc.
34.5cmx27.4cm, Drawing Paper
I had this pokemon card in the back of phone case for years, It was my favorite one when I was a kid, I took it everywhere and thought of it as lucky.
Thinking back on those times I realised that buying those cards was truly my first addiction.
That card always brought a wide smile to my face so I guess one could call this a self portrait.
Calling Out 2023
Acrylic, Charcoal, Pastel, Marker, Acrylic Marker, etc.
14.8cmx20.8cm, Acrylic Painting Paper
I spilt my bowl of dirty paint water on my table and instead of cleaning it up with a tissue or cloth I took it's impression onto this paper and immediately, Kids Saw Ghosts.
Clever Boy - A Theif 2023
Acrylic, Pastel, Paper, Acrylic Liner, Aerosol, etc.
28x22 Inches, Heavy GSM Paper
This piece along with the next one are the defining points of the collection. They encapsulate and consist of every single aspect I wanted in the collection.
Forbidden Innocence 2023
Acrylic, Pastel, Paper, Acrylic Liner, Aerosol, etc.
28x22 Inches, Heavy GSM Paper
Like I said, This piece along with the previous one are the defining points of the collection. They encapsulate and consist of every single aspect I wanted in the collection.
Robinson 2023
Acrylic, Acrylic Liner, Pastel
24x18 Inches, Stretched Canvas
This piece has so many layers of work under it, I essentially worked intuitively until, Kids Saw Ghosts.
I absolutely love the structure on this one.
Changes 2023
Acrylic, Aerosol, Pastel, Marker
Diptych (22x22 Inches each), Heavy GSM Paper
The words on the left side of this page was me finally adding some direct context within the piece itself, It talks about being in your teenage years, looking back at how innocent and pure the younger you was.
I repeated 'This is serious' across the whole thing simply because this was a very nostalgic day for me, I was thinking back and feeling lost and in that moment I wanted to be taken seriously for the kind of art I was making because i was noticing many people only looking at it on the surface, but I now realise that that is part of the job description as an artist.
I also do really love the composition of this one.
The Other 2023
Acrylic
13.5x20 Inches, Thick Wood Panel
The concept of 'The Other' was something me and my friends talked about often. It's essentially that there are things/people you know and
things/people you know you don't know.
But there is always the other, what/who you don't even know that you don't know.
We always said beware of the others. But now I realise, you just have to be aware of the others.
This is the personification of that concept.
Self Titled 2023
Acrylic, Post-its, Magazine, and more
36x30 Inches, Streched Canvas
Title Piece for My First Collection; Kids Saw Ghosts.
Like albums have Title Tracks, I felt like this collection needed a Title Piece to show the thoughts I was going into executing this collection with.
In a Gallery Context, This piece would be the last one, by itself, in the center of a large wall. To tie together the rest of the show and have a "Oh, It all makes sense now" moment.
This is also the last piece from the collection for this portfolio.
Rhythm 0 2023
Paper, Acrylic, Pastel, Aerosol
22x28 Inches, Heavy GSM Paper
Referencing Rhythm O; The Performance Art Piece by Marina Abramovic
Archived 2023
Acrylic, Paper, Paper, Insulated Therma Bi-
15x22 Inches, Stretched Canvas
After making 'Self-Titled' from my first collection knew it was done. By this point I was learning more about painting and wanted to start experimenting with a different style and textures.
Mentally, I wasn't out of the concept of childhood nostalgia just yet which is why the last page from one of my notebooks from 2nd grade is the focal center of this one.
It was a change in direction. It felt like I was onto the next stage in my practice.
Ladders 1 2023
Acrylic
20.8cmx14.8cm, Acrylic Painting Paper
I like this one enough to put it on here with no context
Green Bonsai 2023
Post-its, Acrylic, Acrylic Liner
10x10 Inches, Streched Canvas
This was me learning composition outside of the concept of the collection.
Farm 2023
Acrylic, Pastel, Acrylic Marker, Post-its
10x20 Inches, Stretched Canvas
Experimenting. Working on honing my enlar and comacition skille
Her Lipstick 2023
Acrylic
20x10 Inches, Stretched Canvas
Executing textures. I was learning more about how acrylic works. I started working on the collection essentially as soon as I started my practice so I never really got the chance to explore my medium in a different context.
Bridging The Gap 2023
Acrylic, Aerosol, Charcoal
20x20 Inches, Streched Canvas
This piece is separate from everything else and I do not remember making it.
I'll explain, I had turned my living room into a studio, got rid of the sofas and everything else, It was just work benches and materials everywhere so there was no resistance in me painting whenever I wanted to. I woke up in the middle of the night to (what I'm assuming was) get some water, I'm not sure what happened during the walk from the bedroom to the kitchen but I made this essentially in my sleep. I woke up the next morning having no recollection of making this. Everyone I've asked for what they see in it says something different. I ofcourse, have my perspective but this is a work that even I can’t claim to understand. I think for that reason it may be my best.
*************************
the time I spent painting was a very isolated sort of time. I wasn't really showing my work because I did not need any opinions or thoughts with this venture, I knew what I was trying to do and there was simply no need for external opinions or validations. I wasn't selling these, I wasn't putting them up on ig or nothing. so… this is the only validation I've recieved, and being accepted into —— the no.1 fine arts program in the US was.. BIG howeverrr — as so it happens I was unable to go due to financial constraints so now I just sit knowing I could've gone to the uni kanye went to. now you know this too. how fun :)
the time I spent painting was a very isolated sort of time. I wasn't really showing my work because I did not need any opinions or thoughts with this venture, I knew what I was trying to do and there was simply no need for external opinions or validations. I wasn't selling these, I wasn't putting them up on ig or nothing. so… this is the only validation I've recieved, and being accepted into —— the no.1 fine arts program in the US was.. BIG howeverrr — as so it happens I was unable to go due to financial constraints so now I just sit knowing I could've gone to the uni kanye went to. now you know this too. how fun :)