Me

Artist: Natalie Su
Writer: Keira Sarmiento
Editor: Nathan Turnbeaugh

Natalie Su’s gorgeous and brightly-colored self-portrait represents going with your gut feeling and not being afraid to express yourself. Originally, Su painted her face in her actual skin tone but then decided to switch to an iconic bold green, her favorite color, that made her piece “POP.” To continue her exploration of colors, she used teal and orange highlights on her face and painted her lips and clothes a bright red to contrast with the shades of green. Her outfit, a 旗袍 (cheongsam), was inspired by her recent trip to Taiwan, her ancestral home. Su spent a lot of time and effort on the elegant designs across the sleeves. It stands as a testament to her family’s culture. 

Su’s creative process was a lot of experimentation in terms of color, composition, and more, but in the end, it came together to create a piece that embodied herself and her culture.