Dipping her brush into light blue paint, freshman Emily Wang recenters her focus as she adds the finishing touches to her porcelain plate artwork, titled “Highways of LA,” a piece inspired by the Los Angeles (LA) city life.
Through her art school, Wang had the opportunity to paint a porcelain plate and have her artwork displayed in the LA Art Show at the Los Angeles Convention Center as part of the “Voices of LA” exhibition. One of the three plates designed by Wang was inspired by an LA highway, surrounded by palm trees and featuring a graffiti wall to give authenticity to its inspiration. Proceeds from artwork sold at this particular exhibit were donated to a relief fund for California Wildfire Relief.
“The art I [created] for this art showcase is for a collection representing our culture and also incorporating how we see LA, because all the images on there were taken in LA,” Wang said. I felt very fulfilled after selling my piece [knowing] other people liked my artwork and happy that someone can appreciate my work like I do.”
Wang began to take interest in art from the age of 5, joining CM Cubed art school in Diamond Bar two years ago to refine her skills as an artist. She currently attends class twice a week on Wednesdays and Saturdays for two hours. During classes, students focus on different units of art such as painting or drawing and learn to work with new mediums, such as acrylic paints, and incorporate them into their pieces. With classrooms full of art supplies, Wang utilizes a variety of mediums to allow her artistic vision to shine through in her work.
“I do art because I really enjoy the whole process and the outcome. If [my artwork] turns out nice, I feel really happy for creating something beautiful,” Wang said. “I like the communication and collaboration with my friends in the process. While we’re drawing, we get to talk to other people and artists and ask for their opinions. The process is just really satisfying.”
The process to create her artwork begins with finding inspiration from images that correlate to the feeling she is trying to embody within her pieces. As she envisions her ideas, she begins to execute them onto a canvas, whether that be a plate or paper. To Wang, art is more than just a hobby, but an outlet to express her creativity.
“I use a pen or pencil when I’m doodling, but for bigger and more important artworks, I use acrylic paint and sometimes charcoal. I guess my art style is kind of semi realistic, when I’m painting stills, since it is just objects and stuff, it’s pretty realistic. When I’m by myself painting what I like, it’s like a cartoonish anime style, but still kind of detailed.”
Art has also connected Wang with other artists that share similar passions. Sophomore Elissa He is a friend of Wang who also attends CM Cubed and had the opportunity to have her artwork on display for the same exhibit for the LA Art Show.
“I feel super happy for Emily for selling her plate and doing so well even though it’s only her second year. Normally when someone sells something, we are all super excited for them not only because they get part of the money, but also since we are raising money for the California Wildfire Relief Fund,” He said. “The best part of our experience [at the exhibit] was meeting a bunch of new people and sharing more about our program. We also got to talk to some other artists there too.”
Wang sees herself continuing her passions for art in the future as a hobby and encourages others that are interested to try it as well.
“I want to continue pursuing art as a hobby and get better at it,” Wang said. “For those interested, definitely try. It’s a really fulfilling and fun process, and even though you might get stuck on the way, you will grow and learn with your art.”
