Silence

(click image for full view)

It depicts a sophisticated and classy woman with bouncy, stylized, and curly hair. The gaze of her eyes look away at a distance, staring with with a bit of wonder and skepticism from the way her eyes are largely opened wide with an eyebrow slightly arched. At the same time, the subtle tears that leak from her eyes could represent a grief, or other sense of uneasiness. The most noticeable part of the piece are her lips, which are enclosed within grommets, and tightly knotted ribbon embellished with an elegant bow-tie. The lips, unable to quiver any movement or sound, represents her hindered ability to speak. Thus she remains poised with constraint, silence and reserve.

I chose to draw this because at that time I felt a deep personal connection about feeling emotionally constrained, and felt insecure with my personal voice & opinions. I felt like I had no one who wanted to genuinely listen to what was on my mind and my reasoning was often disregarded. Social pressures and self-identity issues were some stresses I encountered at the time this was drawn. Certain insecurities were about socially fitting in with others. I also felt restrictions at home, often feeling confined in the house because I had strict parents who often limited my social freedom. Those are just some personal influences that motivated me to express myself in this piece.