“Picnic on 12th”
by Nova Oh

My artwork is inspired by warm summer days with my cousins, playing outside when time always seemed to pass too quickly. My piece explores both the fleeting nature of joy and  timidness through kid culture. As a kid, I felt carefree and safe while sharing simple moments like blowing bubbles and catching ladybugs. In contrast, the sad child in the doorway represents the timidness I felt in new situations. I wanted to show how feeling excluded can also be part of kid culture and shape our character. He looks too timid to join the others, begging the question, why won’t he take his chance? Is it because, like many of us, he is scared or afraid of being rejected? Should fear of others stop you from doing things you love?

I hope my audience can slow down to feel the happiness as well as seeing themselves in the little boy standing in the doorway, in the uncertainty that comes with being a kid.