.⋆｡⋆༶⋆˙⊹ This piece started out as just a sketch—a throwaway doodle that would forever be incomplete. I left it like this for several months until I opened Procreate again, and realized its potential. I painted the girl in thick blotches with a yellow and blue color palette, similar to Van Gogh’s Starry Night. The wolf was inspired by artist Mulan Fu, whose surrealist work centers on cultural identity, animation, and storytelling. A common creature she depicts is a harrowing wolf which resembles a dragon. I admire Fu’s sense of flow that effortlessly streams from one point to the next. Taking this as inspiration for own piece, the wolf is drawn seamlessly emerging from the candle, its wisps flowing back into the girl’s ear to symbolize a connection from within.
Limelight is the focus of public attention and being in the spotlight. I feared the limelight as a child, too afraid to even raise my hand in class. Today, the fear is still there. The wolf lingers upon me in school presentations, sports competitions, or meeting new people. Though I’ve learned to ease my social anxiety throughout the years, the wolf’s tendrils remain locked inside my brain.
THE ORCHID 