Simple moments with family or everyday objects might not catch everyone’s eye; however, to local high school student Jennifer Li, those simple moments are the inspiration for her first public art showcase.
“I like pieces that are interesting to look at,” Li said. “But, they also represent everyday things that people might not notice.”
The Pinewood School junior’s work was selected for a month-long art exhibition at the Los Altos Library. The exhibit, titled “Journey,” runs through Saturday, Oct. 26.
Li took up art in elementary school and is now taking classes at BPC Art Studio in Palo Alto. As she has grown up, so has her relationship with art.
“Originally, I just wanted to go into art because I saw my classmates do it,” the Los Altos resident said. “Eventually I grew up and got introduced to art online. I was able to access different kinds of art and I wanted to create art like that.”
Li spends about 10 hours a week on her art, taking one to two weeks to complete each piece.
“It’s amazing to see how people use different methods to say the same thing,” she said. “When I use a brush on a canvas, it’s just incredible how that can just create your idea. That is what inspires me to keep (creating art).”
She is also inspired by color and the things around her.
“Right now, I am trying experimental colors,” Li said. “If I see a subject matter that is really gorgeous in that way, that really inspires me. I’ll note it down and create a couple of thumbnail sketches to gather references.”
Though Li has explored many media, she prefers graphite, charcoal and acrylic. In particular, she used acrylic in most of her paintings for the library exhibit.
Li said the theme of her exhibit, comprising seven pieces, is “everyone’s own journey.”
For Li, the personal theme of her work is “exploring scenes that have a meaning, only if you really look into it,” she said.
One of the pieces on display, “Consumption,” depicts people sitting around the dinner table while on their phones.
“It’s something that happens a lot in the real world that we don’t really pay attention to,” Li said. “People consume the things on their phone more than they do the actual food on the table.”
To Li, being able to showcase her work is a gratifying experience.
For more information, visit sccl.bibliocommons.com/v2/events?locations=LA/.events/67059fca750fa7242a621953 events/67059fca750fa7242a621953.
