Emma Tay
What or who inspired you to pick up art?
I was inspired to start creating art by art from anime that I encountered online. The works inspired me to create characters of my own, so I would copy their styles and designs to form my own characters out of them.
How has your IBCP experience been?
My IBCP experience has given me the time and space to focus on improving my own art, especially since we are encouraged to make art for ourselves instead of achieving a grade. Being exposed to so many different art-making techniques, IBCP is also a period of experimentation to find a style of art that is personal and unique to me.
How has your art-making process developed over the years?
My process changes with every piece I make. Since my sources of inspiration come from everywhere and I work with multiple mediums, I do not have a set way of creating. However, over the years, I have become more open to trying new things, and not just sticking to conventional methods of creating art.
What do you intend to pursue in the future?
I intend to pursue a career in animation, while continuing my explorations in painting.
What is one of your favourite artworks that you've created?
Flowers for Ah Ma, 2022
26.5 x 40 cm
Oil on wood panel
This piece was conceptualised following my grandmother's funeral. The subject of the work includes all the dried leaves, branches, and flowers that were sent from family friends to the wake. Inspired by paintings of memento moris, the piece intends to be a beautiful yet solemn depiction of the event. It is a depiction of the flowers in a temporary state, still having bright and colourful petals, but the fallen, dead leaves are a reminder that they will eventually wither away too.