Talking Pattern- Jasmine Gao
- The inspiration came from a detail shot I took last week at the museum — a close-up of a decaying part of a plant fruit, which was situated next to a healthy one.
2. While drinking soda, I was captivated by the bubbles and took a photo. Later, I mixed watercolor with dish soap, created foam, and meticulously filled an entire page with it to convey the essence of bubbles.
3 & 4. Both works are derived from a small, greenish, peeling fragment of a building that I photographed during a group practice activity at the start of the semester. One was created using acrylic on paper, while the other was made with crayon and pastel.
5. On the left, I enlarged a detail of my gourd rope and reproduced it using embroidery thread. On the right, I achieved a similar effect using colored pencils.
6. I zoomed in further on the gourd rope, opted for oil pastels, filled in the pencil sketch with them, and used the edge of the pastel to depict the frayed strands of the rope.
7. This piece was inspired by a moment when I was painting late into the night. I looked up and noticed the striking contrast between the lit windows and the dark walls of the building across from me.
8. After observing a display board, I selected embroidery threads matching its colors and wove them together. However, I felt the piece should have been larger to be more effective, but I didn’t have enough thread.
9. This also focuses on the display board, but I zoomed in for a more detailed shot and carefully studied its structure.
10. While trying to wipe a stain off my hand, I noticed an interesting texture on the paper towel. I used my phone to take a close-up photo and then sketched it.
11 & 12. Both pieces depict the residue left in the transparent cup I use for washing brushes. I used two different mediums — colored pencils for one and watercolor for the other. The black lines in piece No. 12 represent the texture of the cup.
13, 14 & 15. These three works all focus on the air holes in a biscuit. I discovered these tiny holes in a biscuit I often eat when examining it against the sunlight, enlarged them, and analyzed their structure. No. 15 is an outline traced on tracing paper, using different colors for contrast. No. 13 is drawn with colored pencils and partially colored. No. 14 combines both techniques.
- This is based on the bottom of my gourd, which I chose to draw repeatedly. I used oil pastels to recreate its rough texture and layered colors to achieve a more blended effect.
For this task, I conceived numerous ideas involving objects, mediums, and colors, yet the final selections emerged through a process that felt both random and interconnected. For instance, while sneaking some small biscuits during the teacher’s lecture, sunlight happened to stream into the room since it was a clear day. Illuminated by the light, I noticed the tiny round holes in the center of the biscuits—likely designed for ventilation during the steaming process. Later, while painting, my attention was captured by the display board on the right, fascinated by the interweaving colors. Then, as I contemplated which painting materials to use, I found myself drawn to the transparent cup I use for washing brushes. The residual pigment stains left on the cup struck me as a form of printmaking. A series of such interconnected observations ultimately culminated in the final artwork. I also experimented with various methods. For example, in one piece, my inspiration came from the bubbles in a soft drink—I took a photo of them and began thinking about bio-fabrics. Lacking the proper tools, I improvised by adding dish soap to watercolor paint, vigorously stirring the mixture with a brush to create foam, which I then skimmed off and applied to paper. I allowed it to dry, embracing the resulting texture. What distinguishes this approach, which I refer to as “talking pattern” and “talking color,” from my previous work is a shift in focus. In the past, I tended to prioritize whether the overall shape accurately reflected the original subject. However, inspired by a recent Tuesday class, I now place greater emphasis on texture and color effects. I find it particularly intriguing to transform limited imagery into unique patterns. Moreover, by reviewing examples from online classes, I’ve gained a clearer understanding of what I currently need—or what I still lack. I am also actively experimenting with combining different mediums to explore new effects.