Gouache, ballpoint pen, 9.5” x 13”

Artist Statement

This piece was made to reflect the academic burnout that seems to permeate student life. I wanted to explore how my life was consumed by academics towards the end of high school, and now in college. I intentionally cluttered the piece with words, papers, and bright colors to overwhelm the pale figure in dark clothes. The goal was to show how schoolwork sucks the color and life out of students — leaving them exhausted. The combination of these books, notes, and the late-night clock creates an environment of stress and reflects the clutter in one's mind when they focus solely on school. I wanted to capture a moment of peace with the relaxed expression on the face and the stillness of the scene. The contrast between this moment of calm and the implied stressful environment creates some empathy. It provides a brief reprieve from the fast-paced life students are subjected to in the American school system. I used gouache because it allows for those bright, opaque colors that clutter the space, but they’re versatile as well and can be used to help things fade into the background. The dark gouache that makes up the girl's clothes helps pull her backwards, minimizing her in the face of all the work surrounding her. The gouache also allows for visible brush strokes, creating a hazy impression of the moment instead of a clear, focused one — similar to how these late-night study sessions often feel like fever dreams.