Some of my guiding questions for my sustained investigation include: “What can we learn from observing children in their everyday life?”, “What can children teach us about joy?”, and “How can I express the beauty of childhood through my art?”. 

I chose this theme because I think that childhood is so precious. I believe that the beauty of childhood lies in the small moments that define the happiness we had when we were young: the sense of wonder as we chased after butterflies, the joys of playing dress up, the creativity that came from playing outdoors, etc. If each of us try our best to live a little more like children each day, I truly believe that the world would be a much better place. 

I began by focusing on familial relationships and my personal experiences as a child. As I continued to work, I began to shift my focus to the joys of childhood in general, concentrating on childhood themes such as wonder, innocence, and the ability to find joy in the minute experiences of everyday life. While all of my images are personal to me and remind me of certain memories, I hope that the tone and subject matter of my works connect to a widespread audience and evoke a universal feeling of nostalgia. I used my past experiences with printmaking, drawing, and painting to experiment with different mediums such as oil paint, Akua ink and acrylic paint. My color pallet and soft brushstrokes hopefully add to the child-like nature of my artworks.