2021 Grandparent Portrait Show Awards

Q. Did the experience of making the portrait have an effect on your relationship with your grandparent?
A. No, but even though she already passed away I learned more about her than I used to hold in my memory.

Q. Did you learn something you did not previously know?
A. I learned art-wise that you shouldn’t always follow a plan, that you should let your mind free and let it run experiments, put together things that shouldn’t be put together, knowledge-wise I learned that me and my grandmother have the same love for plants specially flowers and nature.

Q. Did the experience of making the portrait have an effect on your relationship with your grandparent?
A. Unfortunately, when I made the portrait my grandma had already passes away so it didn’t really have an effect on my relationship with her. However, making it made me remember about all the good memories I had with her.

Q. Did you learn something you did not previously know?
A. While doing the portrait, I learned more about the backstories of why my grandma liked the things that I was adding.

Q. Did the experience of making the portrait have an effect on your relationship with your grandparent?
A. My grandmother who I drew the portrait of passed away a few years ago and since I was still pretty young when I last saw her I believe drawing this helped me feel a bit closer to her. I’m sure it would’ve put a huge smile on her face if I’d been able to show her that I made a painting of her.

Q. Did you learn something you did not previously know?
A. I developed my skills with digitally painting a realistic portrait which I hadn’t actually attempted before and realized how much I enjoy creating this particular style of art.

Q. Did the experience of making the portrait have an effect on your relationship with your grandparent?
A. The experience of making the portrait increased my respect for her and her ability to not lose her head in difficult situations.

Q. Did you learn something you did not previously know?
A. My grandma was always supportive of her children and grandchildren and never lost her temper. I only began to understand how hardworking she was and how much pain she was in after she died, but painting this memory of her made me realize her quiet strength and how much she never showed.

Q. Did the experience of making the portrait have an effect on your relationship with your grandparent?
A. When creating the piece I got to experience more on how my grandpa was as a person. I never understood who my grandpa was because I never got to learn more about him but now I can see that he was lovely and caring person.

Q. Did you learn something you did not previously know?
A. I learned that he was a helpful person to others and was a serious person but still loved to help people along the way and always had joy taking care of kids.

Q. Did the experience of making the portrait have an effect on your relationship with your grandparent?
A. Yes, While drawing this portrait I feel like my relationship with my Grandfather grew immensely, I was able to really connect with him on a deeper level.

Q. Did you learn something you did not previously know?
A. I learned to appreciate my grandfather even more, and just being overall more grateful to see that he’s still thriving in life.

Q. Did the experience of making the portrait have an effect on your relationship with your grandparent?
A. I think the experience of making the portrait had a positive effect on my relationship with my grandpa. We’re pretty close, and he was happy to see the painting of him, especially when he learned that it won an award. I’m glad he liked it, and he’s always fun when seeing my art!

Q. Did you learn something you did not previously know?
A. I’d never really done a portrait of a person in acrylics, so this was a great learning experience for me. I think I got a lot better at mixing and getting the shades and hues that I wanted, and I also learned that making something really detailed and accurate takes time, even in the style I was using.

Q. Did the experience of making the portrait have an effect on your relationship with your grandparent?
A. My grandparents received the portrait of them in early January of this year. My grandmother seemed really happy when she texted me saying thank you and how they were going to town to get it matted and framed.

Q. Did you learn something you did not previously know?
A. I think I looked up what kind of birds were native to where they lived. I found two images of a western meadowlark. I also found an image of two deer, one of which I used for my Grandparent Portrait.

Playing Cards Artist Statement
Some of my favorite memories are playing the Taiwanese card game 10:30 with my A-ma (grandma) and cousins perched on the classic Taiwanese plastic stools. The warm atmosphere of love and laughter in these simple moments glows through the pink underpainting. To form the canvas, each card was chosen carefully, such as the three of hearts on the right that represents the three souls pictured. Since my A-ma passed over the summer, this painting documents her iconic laughing face and child-like joy I will cherish forever.