Springtime as a kid was always one of the most exciting times for me. I can still taste the crisp air, can hear the robins singing their morning song. I remember always climbing the mulberry trees to check whether they had berries yet, remember plummeting down my aunt’s steep driveway on a big wheel, my only way of stopping being a nose-dive into a shallow trench. And the best days were the windy days, when you could practically chew on all the smells as I slipped in between the billowing bedsheets my mom had hung on the clothesline to dry.
Spring meant something to me then, and those vibes never changed.
So, when it began to feel like spring again a few weeks ago, I cleaned the house and opened the windows, bought candles that smelled of peach instead of pine, and I took Goo to the park almost every day, where I would feel the sun on my face and let the southern wind wake me up from hibernation.
That’s when the playground scribbles began, which were a combination of alcohol markers, colored pencils, watercolors, and charcoal. Allowing myself the freedom of as many tools and colors as I wanted brought back that childhood mentality when merely holding a fat crayon was a feat comparable to the Mona Lisa. Combining this medium freedom, the artistic naivety and the springlike weather, I came up with the Springtime Vibes collection.
These works are about the infant spring, when the trees are barely budding and the nests are still quiet and the seedlings only just begin to sprout. This is a delicate time for nature, in my opinion. It’s a transition period. Trees go from living death to living in a matter of weeks. The grass goes green. Tulips, daffodils, and Irises bloom. The whole process must take an exuberant amount of energy. An energy I worked to portray in my vigorous scribbling and bright colors, while also keeping the quiet, infant moments intact with light pencil marks.
The new series has eight pieces in all ranging in size from 5×7 inches to 19×24 inches. Each are works on different types of paper and were made with a variety of tools from alcohol markers to colored pencils.
To view the entire collection, click here.
Until next time, may your mulberry trees be fruitful and your sunshine be warm.
Scribble Chai 