My inspiration came from the artwork by Hernando R. Ocampo, an artist who was alarmed by the aftereffects of a bomb where monsters emerged from the remains in a film he watched. Ocampo was born in Santa Cruz, Manila and studied law, commerce and writing before then teaching himself the visual arts. Dancing Mutants, the artwork of his that inspired me, encouraged me to use the same colours for my painting- red, orange, yellow and dark shades such as black and blood red to represent horrors as well. However, I chose both a positive and negative view for my painting. The dark depths of the water reflect how difficult times feel like for me on the inside. On the other hand, the sudden burst of colours including yellow, orange and red in the sky represents my emotions while I do the thing I love – like to sing. In contrast, the water’s depths are still and not moving which suggests that I feel still and lonely when times are tough but happy when I’m singing, since in the sky the bright colours are flowing freely in harmony. The red heart in the centre of the painting shows my love for the hobby and the music shaped clouds shows my resonance with singing and music.

My painting, while also bringing out my emotions through colours and textures, shows a beautiful sunset, representing the one I saw on my 13th birthday in Phuket, one of the most wonderful times in my life, which is why I chose the number 13. Waves dancing in the ocean, they remind me of how I love water, and the wonders Phuket brought to me such as the sun setting on the horizon and a jet ski experience through the waves. Overall, this artwork brings out my love for singing, the darkness underneath that people can’t see, and the wonderful memory of Phuket’s sunset and water experience. Lastly, since my 13th birthday was one of my most precious experiences, the purple number 13 represents a memory I’ll never forget.