Carolina

Natalie Su’s piece “Carolina” paints a clear image of her love for nature, literature, and life’s other gifts. Natalie Su, a senior at Carlmont High School, has always enjoyed art, which she began experimenting with as a young child. Her interest in art was especially bolstered by the advent of the pandemic, which provided her ample time to look into free art courses and watch videos in order to better her skills. This year, Natalie is taking Studio Art, and she hopes to continue learning about techniques and styles as the class progresses.

Su describes how her piece “Carolina” drew inspiration from the novel and movie “Where the Crawdads Sing,” a fictional piece that features a young protagonist living in the marshes of North Carolina who becomes involved in a puzzling murder investigation. As Su recounts, “I took some elements and symbols that represented Carolina and its swamps… to tie into the theme [of being] thankful for nature and being able to connect with the surrounding environment.” Evidently, the purpose of Su’s artwork “Carolina” is twofold: to show her appreciation for nature and to pay homage to a fulfilling literary piece. Su’s ability to encapsulate this complex theme of life’s gifts into a stunning, nostalgic watercolor with accompanying poetry is no short of incredible, and is precisely why she won Art Showcase Club’s December Monthly.

As Su progresses with her artistic endeavors, she will continue to use art as a means to both destress and explore her creative side. From this, perhaps there is something we too can take into account: the beauty of the little things in life, and the satisfaction that comes with portraying this beauty. Natalie Su’s creations are a testament to the value of life’s little things, the appreciation of which not only provides us respite but can highlight the beauty of even the most mundane subjects.