In my Painting 101 class, I was instructed to paint a scene (from memory) that somehow relates to a memory of childhood. 

Then, I covered certain areas of the painting with masking tape to preserve it. Then, we had to paint another full layer over the top of the masking tape. 

I then was instructed to paint a second layer inspired by my contemporary life from direct observation. After I removed the tape, I made the two paintings more cohesive with each other. 

  For my first layer, I chose to paint a memory of me using a scarf to swing down the stairs and jump into my family’s laundry. I decided to use bright vibrant colors, specifically my favorite colors at that age. 

I am someone who is very committed to a style or aesthetic. Even as a kid, I would surround myself with my favorite colors. I decided to make the walls and stairs pink so it would feel more like a child’s imagination. 

I wanted to include all of my siblings’ safety items (blankets and teddy bears) on the stairs because they were always the last to be thrown down for laundry. 

The clothes pile is filled with my favorite articles of clothing as a kid. 

I spend a lot of time at my desk, so I thought it would be most fitting to represent my contemporary life and paint from observation.

The change in color and tone between the two layers makes the painting feel like it is symbolizing remembrance in oneself. 

The second layer is aesthetically pleasing to the eye, with a very mundane tone. I imagine soft vinyl playing in the background when looking at it. 

The first layer is much louder than the second layer. The wall gets darker as you move away from the light which also makes it look like my childhood self is emitting the light. 

The first layer represents one’s past forgotten self, a girl whose  style held no bounds, all she knew was she liked the color pink and would make everything pink if she could. Even after someone grows up and loses that childhood wonder that allowed swinging on a scarf to feel like flying, she still crashes through with bright colors and unrealistic imagery. 

She still crashes through whenever I’m playing a game, and I pick pink for my avatar.