Who I Am
I am a Grade 11 student at Semiahmoo Secondary School in Surrey, British Columbia. I have been painting since middle school and studying Guzheng since I was eight years old. Both practices have taught me patience, close observation, and the value of sharing creative work with others. I am drawn to art and music not because they are easy, but because they ask me to pay attention in ways that nothing else does.
How I Work
In Art
I work mostly in oil and watercolour, and sometimes charcoal for studies. I am interested in light — how it changes the colour of ordinary things and how a shadow can tell you as much as the object itself. I paint slowly, often returning to the same subject until I understand it better.
In Music
Guzheng requires a combination of technical precision and emotional expression. I study repertoire from both the traditional Chinese canon and contemporary works. Playing an instrument with a 2,500-year history gives me a sense of continuity — I am part of something much larger than myself.
In Community
I believe that creative work becomes more meaningful when it is shared. I have performed Guzheng at cultural events, senior centres, and school showcases. Each audience teaches me something different about what music can do for people.
What Influences Me
A few artists, ideas, and experiences that have shaped how I see and think.
- ArtistVilhelm Hammershøi — his quiet interiors taught me that simplicity can hold immense depth
- ExhibitionThe Vancouver Art Gallery's Emily Carr collection — seeing how place shapes practice
- Musical TraditionClassical Guzheng repertoire — pieces like High Mountains and Flowing Water connect technique with philosophy
- IdeaThe concept of "slow looking" — spending more time with fewer things to see them more clearly
- MentorMy Guzheng teacher, who showed me that discipline and expression are not opposites
At university, I want to keep developing both my visual art and my musicianship. I am interested in how art and music overlap — in the way both require patience, observation, and the willingness to sit with something until it reveals itself. I do not know exactly what shape my studies will take, but I know I want to be in a place that values careful thinking and creative discipline equally.
— Looking Ahead