The man on the left is my father, and the woman on the right is my mother. I used 3 photos for reference when making these drawings. The color portraits are from a candid photo in Spring 2025. It captures my mom's last-ever handbell concert, an instrument she has played for over a decade. My dad stands at her side, laughing and congratulating her. The other two photos, one of my mom, one of my dad, are from their early 30s; both of them were looking at me as a newborn. The older photos are desaturated and abstract, representing the faded memories of them from my childhood. The newer photos are in striking bold colors, showing they have grown into themselves and bloomed, the blues complementing where they have aged and the beautiful people they have become.
I was inspired by helping my mom wash the dishes one night. I noticed a sunspot on her hand. It made me stop. I feel so wrapped up in becoming an adult, getting a car, a job, and going to college, that I forget that they, too, are growing up alongside me. The Beauty of Growth represents how, just as I have grown up, my parents have grown up alongside me, and we have all become brighter, more colorful people along the way.