Jenie Gao Studio | Test Of Vision

A Test of Vision

Ink & Watercolor / 2015

A series of drawings exploring change as a part of building the foundation of who we are.

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My work focuses on the necessity of change to build the foundation of who we are. I discuss how we use objects, work, and places as anchor points in our relationships, cultures, and identities. These anchor points can give us a sense of stability and security, but oftentimes what we perceive as strength is rigidity. Over time, the traditions we intended as ways to perpetuate our legacies and deepen our connections shift to obligations that stagnate us and clog our time. We make decisions out of duty rather than understanding and improvement. We become experts of our limits instead of discoverers of our possibilities. When we cannot defy our limits, we think we fear change, when in truth, we fear loss of what we think we already have.

In my work, I discuss the need to remove ourselves from what we know, to gain self-awareness and a true understanding of our potential and value. My use of materials supports this philosophy. If we imagine our lives as blank, white pieces of paper, then we have been brought up to believe that the decisions we make could be difficult or impossible to erase. Some of us are careful and strive to keep our papers clean; we are close to our pencils and erasers and low on our commitment. Others of us add layers that obscure; we show only what we want to show and become lost in self-censorship. My primary mediums are woodcut and ink. I love that woodcut shows how creating something new depends on what we cut out rather than what we add. The permanence of ink emulates the decisiveness it takes to make a mark, catalyzed by what we can envision rather than limited by our fears of failure and ruin.

Having worked across disciplines, I am fascinated both with what drives and kills our pursuits. Working in the business sector has shown me how the lack of clear cultural values and education has fueled a disconnect between people and the purpose of what they do. Everything we make has its roots in an art form, a desire to create.

Title: Counter Intuition
Medium: Ink & Watercolor on Paper
Dimensions: 20 x 30 inches
Original available for purchase

Title: We Write Our Autobiographies on the Shoulders of Giants
Medium: Ink & Watercolor on Paper
Dimensions: 20 x 30 inches
Original available for purchase

Title: Our Little Freedom
Medium: Ink & Watercolor on Paper
Dimensions: 20 x 30 inches
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Title: Remember, You Are Human
Medium: Ink on Paper
Dimensions: 20 x 30 inches
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Title: The Light Within Us We Do Not Use
Medium: Ink & Watercolor on Paper
Dimensions: 20 x 30 inches
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Title: The Power of Distance
Medium: Ink on Paper
Dimensions: 20 x 30 inches
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Title: There is No Such Thing As Me
Medium: Ink on Paper
Dimensions: 23 x 23 inches
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Title: What We Repeatedly Say
Medium: Ink on Paper
Dimensions: 23 x 23 inches
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Title: A Circulatory System
Medium: Ink on Paper
Dimensions: 10 x 14 inches
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Title: Flat Pictures of High Places
Medium: Ink on Paper
Dimensions: 10 x 14 inches
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Title: Por La Ventana
Medium: Ink on Paper
Dimensions: 10 x 14 inches
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Title: Por La Ventana II
Medium: Ink on Paper
Dimensions: 10 x 14 inches
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