Thanksgiving

This mixed media oil painting is a composition inspired by viewing family albums like a comic strip, combining images from different moments. The two figures composed in the same room are referenced from separate photographs. I started this painting in the fall
of 2023 and finished it in 2025.

With this work, I aimed to move beyond the black-and-white silhouettes of 2022 and explore color in the series. I used saturated colors with figurative silhouettes to evoke nostalgia. For example, the figure on the right is
my grandmother on Thanksgiving Day, dressed in scrubs and heading to work while the family celebrated at home. Looking back at family photos, it’s easy to romanticize moments that were far from perfect.

I continue to value childlike wonder through texture— the transparency of burlap, loose threads at the bottom edge, and the solid color dividing the figures. This painting marks where playful material exploration became central to my work.

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Year: 2025