Grade 12 - 2012 Su Yung

 My two years of IB Visual art have thought me a lot of things. The biggest lesson was the importance of research, which was the basic source of my ideas and images. I began by investigating  macro flowers. I researched the artist Georgia O’Keefe who painted macro flowers, and Tim Maguire who also paints flowers. Fascinated with the intense color of red roses, I began to paint them for the first time and had trouble manipulating the paint. However with experience, comes confidence, and my confidence has grown greatly over the last two years. Through the process of painting, I became interested in the impact of the size of an artwork on viewers.

I decided to paint objects that are common, but with huge size. I realize that context is also important when presenting ideas along with size and image manipulation. I painted lipstick in two gigantic versions of different colors in order to experiment the impact of those two factors on the viewer. After realizing that the crimson color of the lipstick was more imposing, so I began to investigate the color red and it’s representation through times and diverse cultures.

Those women who wear red lipsticks and those who do not are perceived differently. Those who wear bright red lipsticks are considered to be fierce and provocative. Whilst paler colors, are more conservative and safer. Women who wear softer tones are more credible in politics. I became interested in those who do not which led me to the theme androgyny and people playing with gender on their own terms.

I am inspired by the slick Pop Art portraits of Andy Warhol and his lack of rules and disregard for societal constraints. I love working with oil paints but have also employed the mediums of paper, board and acrylic.