Spotl! ght on:
‘
‘
‘
Annyka J Ma
ARTICLE LAYOUT BY GRACE LEE
I
n SLAS, our wildcats are encouraged to express creativity and follow artistic passions. One outstanding student, Annyka Ma, has been recognized for her unique talents in Art. She was awarded in four competitions during the summer, including the EACE international art competition, and reached a preliminary round of another where her art will be presented at the Louvre in Paris. Some of her compositions are digitally done, while others were hand-painted, with intriguing names such as‘ The Steadfast Tin Soldier’ and‘ Plastic Metamorphosis,’ inspired by our community service trip to Hainan.
Steadfast tin soldier
This piece was inspired by the Anderson Fairy Tale of the same name. This competition’ s requirement was for contestants to illustrate a concept art or storyboard of any of Anderson’ s Fairy Tales.
‘
Annyka Ma, SLAS G12 Student
‘
‘
The Plains Will Live On
I chose the Steadfast Tin Soldier because it was one of the first fairy tales told to me as a child, so it holds a special place in my heart. I also chose it because I enjoy illustrating scenes packed with motion and action, and this story had thrilling moments where the Tin Soldier must face dangers presented in front of him.
I was inspired by the prominent issue of pollution and global warming. This piece presents how I want the Earth to be saved from the dire consequences certain to occur if we do not change our current ways. The hands represent humanity if it is willing to lift the Earth from pollution and complacency below.
This piece is special to me because it was one of the first paintings I created for my college portfolio. It was also my grandfather’ s favorite art piece, and he even set it as his profile picture. After he passed away in 2022, I was devastated and remember looking back to see his unchanged profile picture on WeChat of this art piece. It’ s my main motivation for continuing to create art and strive for the best. I named the piece“ The Plains Will Live On” because my grandfather used to work on the plains of QingHai, and this is a piece named in memory of him. At the same time, it symbolizes how the Earth and its plains will continue to live on as humanity strives to stop and even reverse the effects of pollution.