Hello!
It’s 2020…and my first post of the year. Yup. It’s been a while since I posted anything really. With everything going on, it’s been hard to focus on anything really –except maybe that roll of toilet paper.
With this post I kind of wanted to do a recap of what’s been happening in my world these past few months amidst the virus. As an artist, I believe it is my job to shed some light into the world to make people feel good about themselves or show them the good stuff in life despite everything.
There were several projects that I participated in that have been about bringing several artists together and making art. I was part of a Hmong Artist Facebook group where we illustrated our own Tarot cards. This deck focused on the Major Arcana and was illustrated by 23 artists.
With the same group, we also decided to create a series of coloring pages to share with our community. Since people weren’t allowed to go anywhere really, so we thought creating a coloring sheet project would be a great way to get away from reality and just have fun. The group voted on doing fantasy-themed illustrations. The coloring sheets can be downloaded for FREE here.
On another note, I recently got my design chosen for Hmong Museum’s 5th Anniversary T-Shirt Design Contest! The contest was held to design a piece that showcases and celebrates the Hmong culture.
Here is the meaning behind my design:
My design was inspired by Hmong motifs found on our traditional fabrics. I feel those symbols serve as a universal language and art form in the Hmong culture. The design consists of two rings encircling a circle The outermost ring with the triangles represent the grandparents/older generation. The triangles symbolize mountains and serve as a form of protection and guidance to the younger generations. The ring with the snail symbols represent the parents/middle-aged generation. The snail symbolizes “family,” which is an important aspect in the Hmong culture. Parents are essential to the family and is the glue that binds the young and old generation. The innermost circle represents the children/younger generation. As the youngest generation we take everything that has been bestowed upon us and plant the seeds for the future. My hope is that the future of the Hmong will continue to blossom into something beautiful.
Other than that, I have some VERY EXCITING news coming up later this year! So stay tuned! Thank you for reading and take care!
–Dua
DUACHAKA HER 