In the Artist’s Words
The concept is based on my experiences as a first generation immigrant growing up with my mom who took care of me by herself while my dad worked overseas. The statue represents the rare person/place/community that helps keep you afloat among the harsh waves as you drift into and begin to navigate and survive the uncertainty and loneliness of a new place. The floating objects represent warmness, comfort but also responsibility. I also wanted there to be a lushness to the statue to but also a weariness as a result of overcoming various hardships and struggles. I also added in sea elements to tie everything together and give it a summery atmosphere for the August issue.
In terms of visuals, the hardest part for me was fine tuning how much depth I wanted to add to the waves, I wanted there to be a sense of danger and a harshness to the waves but also not have them overwhelm the other elements in the illustration so it was definitely quite challenging walking that line.
-Cindy Fan