Chloe Goforth

Santa Catalina School

Junior

Portraiture is a new venture for me, something I have only recently begun to learn and experiment in. However, I soon fell in love with it as it allows me more creative freedom to express myself and my emotions surrounding my life. During the pandemic, I spent a lot of time painting, whether it be for my art class, or just for enjoyment. I was able to experiment with different types of painting and techniques. Explore different techniques and overall just develop my skills as both an artist and painter.

The subject of this painting is family connections. Connecting with my family has always been the greatest goal and challenge of my life. My family is employed in the foreign service, meaning we have to move a lot and rarely are able to see family. The pandemic only heightened this. Instead of only being able to see family every few months it has been close to years since I have seen some family members. This painting depicts my younger brother and my cousin reuniting during a lull in this pandemic. Their instant camaraderie was my inspiration as I clearly was able to see both their love for each other and their easy companionship, even after not having seen each other for close to two years.

In regards to the symbolism of my piece, the simplistic nature of the background of my piece is meant to highlight the camaraderie between the two children and illustrate the peace of childhood. The lines represent the interconnected nature of family, how one can drift away, but always drift back to each other.