New Wings! - Print

8 x 10 print on watercolor paper

original made with colored pencil, digital collage, and acrylic paint.

I found the reference for this drawing in an overflowing photobook. It’s a photo of my older sister, when she was little, stood at the top of the stairs, showing off a new coat.

I took the photo and gave her wings. Three pairs, all decorated in wonderful patterns.

While drawing, I thought of the person who first captured this moment. My dad, an immigrant from Colombia.

I realized the drawing isn’t so much about my sister and her new wings, but the people who gave her those wings. Looking at the drawing, you take on their perspective and find yourself in a feedback loop of proudness.

As a kid, the hard work put in to give you a good life can be hidden or hard to realize. This is a drawing of a child who looks back at her parents and does realize. In that moment, she can’t help but smile.