Belonging

Artist: Natalie Su
Writer: Jonathon Park
Editor: Nathan Turnbeaugh

In her new piece, “Belonging,” Natalie Su conveys the nuanced feelings of togetherness and connection through two watercolor birds. As a January Monthly submission, Su’s work addresses the topic of new beginnings by restating the importance of friendships and belonging as the new year arrives, whether it be maintaining old friendships or igniting new ones.

To create “Belonging,” which was completed in an hour and a half, Su began with a pencil sketch, followed by an outline in pen, and then watercolor. From the colors to the shading, every element was especially selected to reinforce the value of belonging. For instance, Su juxtaposes green, her favorite color and thus a representation of herself, with warm colors, which naturally represent warm feelings. In this way, Su portrays her own feelings of belonging through the two birds, yet simultaneously allows the spectator to also experience these same feelings of joy and connection. That is the true genius of this work: the viewer instantly appreciates the connection held between the two birds, for nothing is more valuable than a true friendship.

Su also notes that the connection between the two birds extends beyond simply the physical, with each bird sharing artistic elements from the other, stating “I also wanted to convey ‘belonging’ by adding elements of each bird in the other. I added a green tint in the warm bird’s eye and a warm, purple tint in the green bird’s eye.” Through this artistic and symbolistic technique, Su emphasizes that despite differences in beliefs or background, we can still learn to find commonalities and forge connections with one another, just like these two birds. A green bird and a purple bird may not seem like the two most unlikely friends, but they symbolize how, by putting ourselves out there to discover new people and friends, we can establish our own sense of belonging.