Charmaine Poh.
http://psxcharmaine.wordpress.com/
@justslide 

Fannin Street

Tom Waits can sing with

  the warmth of the California sun in

your daughter’s first breath —

  he can remind you of

the canyons carved down your spine

  from when her tears careened across

your shoulders and spelled out Love

                            for the last time.

 

 

I want to know why baby showers

  are decorated with Easter pastels and not

                            with the fingerprints of a man

                            who bled his life away

                            at the foot of a broken

                                              crucifix.

  

I apologized a million times

  over the morning you were born:

     

I’m sorry for the way your skin will sink.

I’m sorry for the way your heart will break

      and for the way your tears will taste

                           when you realize

                                 you’re all you really have.

I’m sorry for the way Father Time will rob you

                            and dance with you

                             and make you question

                                  everything

                                until you don’t know

                            what’s fact or fiction anymore.

I’m sorry you’ll have to hold onto hope

  the way you clutch onto that breast now,

                              and sip for every last drop.

I’m sorry for the way every memory starts like glitter

                                       and ends like dust.

 

 

But I promise you,

 You were born a   cosmic child   in a cosmetic world.

 You are the difference between

                 creation & cremation:

         the music, the meaning, the miracle.

 

You’ll learn one day that

  it’s an acquired taste of beautiful

  the way we toss our leather gloves and

spray crimson this is goodbye’s on the walls

                                    before we run

 

      like coffee & cigarettes

           moonlight & quiet

        and Tom’s voice snaking in through

            the keyhole, singing

 

                I know this is where the sidewalk ends.

Jason Lee. 

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Lonely Whales

Ben’s piece had me scratching my head for days.  The piece was dark, like he said, and it spoke “tense” and “unhappy” to me—not a bad thing, but it had me stumped since they’re not adjectives I usually use to describe my images.  I kept seeing static, machinery, and dissonance, and I tried to create something with those ideas in mind.  I believe strongly that part of this summer art project, after all, is pushing us various artists to make work we wouldn’t otherwise…  But I needed to find something that better matched my own voice.  Finally it hit me: Ben’s piece sounded like two whales trying to communicate to each other via the internet.  I imagined a whole narrative where two whales (desperately in love but terribly technologically illiterate) tried to communicate using Skype.  (This lonely whale definitely crossed my mind.)  I started playing with the idea with various images and forms, and this is what I came up with.  It’s still very much inspired by Ben’s piece, but is also firmly me. :)

Serena Chang.
@goshgollygee 

 

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Nation

Doesn’t Weilin’s piece remind you of a flag? When I first saw it, I really admired its clean structure and the calming color scheme. After five days of lounging around watching Law & Order: SVU, I finally decided to create a flag as myproject. Since Weilin’s piece is so abstract, I wanted to contrast it by recreating a preexisting flag. The American flag has been used in pop art so often that it’s almost cliché. I tried to build on that cliché by including images of classic American icons and brands. Lastly, I used red thread to add a bit of color. I wish I could have done more with that, but alas, I ain’t no Betsy Ross. In addition to Weilin, I was inspired by the Yeah Yeah Yeah’s flag contest and photo collages I made of Ioan Gruffud’s face in the 6^th grade. I loved making this and I hope you enjoy it!

Ruth Tam.
http://www.ruthtam.com/
@rooftam 

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Bursting Forth

This is about being strong and courageous. 

Weilin Mun.

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Letting In
Elaine Kim.
www.elainemkim.com
@enialemik 

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Beloved
Charles Skold.
http://charlesaxel.tumblr.com/
@charles4xel 

Smiles masking truth
Presenting colorless sheets
Yield, bleed paint. Be loved.

This piece was about how everyone keeps certain secrets hidden away, and this interferes with forming true relationships with others. Let these secrets out and be loved by those who truly care because “those who matter don’t care, and those who care don’t matter”. 

Kaiying Lau.