Poppy Fields

Artist: Shiori Chen
Writer: Jonathan Park
Editor: Michelle Lo

Despite, or perhaps as a result of her role as the club president, Shiori Chen finds herself endlessly drawn to art. Chen, a sophomore at Carlmont High School, first dabbled in the arts in her preschool days, and increasingly realized her attraction to the subject. In fact, it would not be a mischaracterization to say that Chen has spent the majority of her 15 years of life enjoying and exploring art.

“Poppy Fields” is a pastel portrait that depicts a tranquil, warmly-hued poppy field. Chen’s artistic process for this piece was relatively straightforward: after creating an initial pastel sketch, she spent an hour developing the piece into the final product that we see now. The painting combines an ephemeral, almost dreamlike sky with a similarly alluring foreground of poppies. A lack of definite lines and edges is also present in the portrait, perhaps defining this piece as abstract. In addition, there is a large emphasis on the three primary colors: red, yellow, and blue.

Chen hopes that through her artwork, she can provide a sense of “escapism” or peace to the viewer. She admits that many of us, including herself, would enjoy the simple pleasure of finding ourselves in a poppy field. In the midst of so much stress and tension in our lives, sometimes all that is needed is a well-painted piece of art.