PORTFOLIO Han-ting Hsu

2014

TABLE OF CONTENTS

!  Artist Statement………………3

!  3D !  Root…………………….….…4 !  Illusion……………….….….…5 !  Not Knot.….….………………6 !  Spiral.….….….………………7 !  Ring Design.….….……………8 !  Tension………………………10 !  Waist……….….……………11 !  Spring….……………………12

!  2D !  Realistic………….….…….…14 !  UNEP Contest 2011…………16 !  Sketches ….…………………18 !  Nature……………….………22 !  Surrealism……….….….….…23 !  Cubism…….….….….….……24 !  Digital Art……….….….….…25 !  Graphic Design: Art Deco ..….26

!  Nepal 2012………….…….…28 !  Cambodia 2013….…….……32

!  Photography …………………36

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ARTIST STATEMENT I am exposed to a variety of subject matter that influenced my concepts and style, separating the the different stages of my artistic career. I am constantly inspired by what we studied in the art history course. I always reference to the art works in the past, emulate the style, and surpass as I find what I want to express through the process of creativity.

“It doesn’t really matter how you feel about your character; it just matters what you do with it”

– Kiera Cass Though technicality is important, I believe it’s what I use my ability to do that matters, not the ability itself. There is no lack of artistically skilled individuals in the world, but what distinguish the artist is the idea behind each work. I want to express my individuality through art. I believe the purpose of a piece of artwork could both be to perform a function and to express the artist’s emotions and ideas. However, a piece of art cannot fail to communicate the artist’s thoughts. Through the portfolio, I wish to reflect my character and articulate my concepts. Ultimately, I aim to create influence with the concepts of my work. I hope to take this philosophy and apply it throughout my career.

ROOT 4

As the first 3D sculpture in my whole high school career, I wanted this piece to be meaningful. I started with a very easy, simplistic, and malleable material, clay. This piece marks the beginning of my 3D career so I wanted it to be reflect my identity. Attending an American school in Taiwan, I’ve always wanted to go aboard and study in the United States. However, as time pass by, I became worried that I might lose or decide to neglect my tradition and my heritage. Even though in high school I am gearing myself to go to a college in the United States, my root will always be Taiwan. This piece will be a constant reminder and inspiration to my work.

ILLUSION 5

I was intrigued by the illusions we see in our daily lives and I wanted to create a structure that is architectural and incorporates negative space

NOT KNOT 6

I want to show a sense of security and simplicity

through the nature of the subject and the material,

which is plaster

SPIRAL 7

I was originally inspired by Bernini’s use of golden sunrays

with the sculpture, the Ecstasy of Saint Teresa in the Cornaro

Chapel. However, the material used in the piece was bamboo

toothpick, creating a more serene atmosphere instead of a loud, metallic vibrancy it’d have if it

was painted gold. I wanted the viewers to appreciate its form

and gradient rather than getting distracted by the colors, so I

decided to keep this natural, rustic, wabi-sabi style.

RING DESIGN 8

My desire to create rings erupted when I was searching for a variety of materials and when I stumbled upon a accessorize magazine

I wanted to incorporate my own style into something people see and wear daily; I wanted to let my work have a purpose, and I think the most primitive connection between art and function is decoration

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TENSION 10

The plaster head is part of my AP3D Concentration that focused on “tension”. As the first work in the Concentration collection, the piece is a very representational and straightforward with its purpose. It aims to simply convey the sense of tension as an emotion. Tension, unlike anger, is a combination of frustration, despair, and hope, balancing itself on the three elements, hence the symbolism of the red triangle.

AP3D Tension Concentration

I was very intrigued by issues on the topic of female identity against society symbolized by the waistline jailed in the red box. Our Society creates unreachable goals for the body images, a sense of vanity, and a skewed judgment of healthy bodies. The piece aims to show how society is suppressing female identities and promoting a false imagery of what women should be like. This is a protest to our society.

Although the waist of the piece is tightly confined by the structure of the red box, the figure resolves the tension by releasing the pressure from the two sides. Our generation is strong, many teenagers are stepping up to battle communities like pro-ana and thinspo on the internet. This is the change people wants to see, and it is our responsibility to fight the “norm” that is forced on to us.

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WAIST

AP3D Tension Concentration

SPRING 12

Included as the last piece of my concentration portfolio, the Spring provides a resolution for the series. While most of the other work in my concentration is focused on the of development and the collection of tension.

The work is also attacking on society’s oppression on female identity. The flower from the top view symbolizes womanhood and the cold, metallic spring is the society’s force. AP3D Tension Concentration

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The tension is relieved even when it is pressed down, because the base extends and infuses the force into the floor.

This shows the resilience of women; they are steady yet still forceful, and they will always push back

what is forced upon them.

REALISTIC 14

A charcoal drawing of a real life model

Still life oil painting of a copy the bust of

Michelangelo’s David

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Jude Law, 2012 Anne Hathaway, 2013 Olivia Wilde, 2012

UNEP COMPETITION 2011 16

I won 3rd place in the UNEP’s 20th International Children’s Painting Competition in 2011

The painting depicts the animals and plants that are becoming more and more endangered by pollution, forest excavations, and global warming. The figures are portrayed as related, warm and caring to set an example for the coming generations.

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SKETCHES 18

2012 2011

19 Onion, 2013

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Nudity and horoscope series, 2013

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2013 GIVE HER A REASON TO GO ON

NATURE 22 2013

Inspired by expressionist and nature paintings I saw in the Art History textbook, I wanted to recreate the same feeling of awe and reverence when I first saw those paintings through my own style.

SURREALISM 23

Inspired by the juxtaposition of objects in dream like scenario, I created a surrealist depiction of one of my dreams.

The background references to decorative designs of different cultures. The sky references to Gothic stained glass windows and the rock mountains reference to Chinese Zen-Buddhism garden decorations .

CUBISM 24

2014 Inspired by Picasso’s paintings, I decided to experiment with the few techniques of cubism but still kept my organic style.

Girl Before a Mirror and Les Demoiselles d’Avignon by Pablo Picasso

DIGITAL ART 25

Commission requested through my website

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GRAPHIC DESIGN: ART DECO Great Gatsby Book Cover

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Pacific American School 2014 Prom poster (left) and ticket (right)

NEPAL2012 28

On the volunteer trip to Nepal, I discovered the beauty of the highlands and the innocence of the native people

My paintings and photographs of this series aim to portray a sense of clarity, nostalgia, and divinity of nature

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CAMBODIA2013 32

I was in Cambodia over the summer of 2013 for a volunteer mission at an orphanage; the orphanage took in children all over the village and works together to build a self sustaining facility and a family

The photographs of this series aim to evoke a sense of familiarity, tirelessness, hope, and love in the viewers as I have felt during the two weeks I spent helping in the orphanage

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PHOTOG RAPHY2012-2014

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Try And Go Back, 2014 Shock, 2012 Product Photo Shoot, 2012

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THERE IS NO SHADOW, ONLY THE ABSENCE OF LIGHT

2014, Inspired by the light peeking through the leaves when the sun rises

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From the Bottom, 2013 Waste Land, 2012 Need for Weed, 2012

“It’s not what you look at that matters, it’s what you see”

– Henry David Thoreau