Date of Award

6-2012

Document Type

Union College Only

Degree Name

Bachelor of Arts

Department

Visual Arts

Second Department

Visual Arts

First Advisor

Walter Hatke

Language

English

Keywords

digital art, watercolor, self-discovery, Japanese-American

Abstract

My inspiration for this project comes from my family. I have been strongly influenced by my parents and my experiences growing up within a multicultural family. I am Japanese-American with dual citizenship rights to both Japan and America. In an attempt to gain a better understanding of my identity I have focused on my Japanese-American heritage as the subject and focus of my senior project. I began creating mixed media portraits of my family in the fall of 2011, and have since then evolved my technique and skills to create a body of work that incorporates historical and familial data and narratives. Inspired by the stories and memories captured within old family photographs, my imagination and mediums have allowed me to construct visual narratives that represent each person’s character within a place and time. Immigration, culture, heritage and identity are a few of the themes that I have illustrated and dealt with in creating this body of work. Although my concept of identity will change, as I grow older, I will continue to be inspired by the traditions and histories that have shaped who I am. This body of work is only the beginning to a long journey of self-discovery.

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