Stereotypes Of Being Homeless
I AM HUMAN.
Ursula
Meegan Lim
Acrylic on Canvas Board
I Am Human focuses on the theme of homelessness and the sad reality of what a homeless person goes through every day. No one knows their story and truthfully, not many care enough to ask them for it. Besides the fact that many homeless people lose their ID card, their identity is inevitably taken away from them once they are homeless. They become invisible to the public, and they are ignored just as much as the garbage on the side of the streets – they are not even considered human anymore. Although not everyone can relate to being homeless, I am sure (almost) everyone can relate to being guilty of ignoring a homeless person, giving them a weird look, or a remark that may or may not have …show more content…
She was a bright light as soon as she walked in and was charged with enthusiasm when I told her about my project and my intentions. She is not homeless anymore, and has gotten up on her feet to face life. I asked her two questions: What are your experiences with the stereotypes of being homeless? & How would you or your friends describe yourself? This resulted in some sad conversations and ones that brought a huge smile to my face. For this first piece, I wanted to portray her larger-than-life personality; so, I decided to keep her yellow hoodie as it reflected her energy perfectly. Ursula is placed in the centre of the composition and there are answers from both questions surrounding her. In white (on the right), are the negative stereotypes that have impacted her directly, or indirectly through friends. In black (on the left), are her genuine traits that are often masqueraded by the stigma of homelessness. The greys in the background are shifted in value to create asymmetrical balance between the text colours. I decided to incorporate the text into the piece to show the polarization of perspectives, there is such large disconnect between the person and the stereotype. I approached painting techniques that helped to represent life on the streets; so, I created varying textures with tissue paper, pumice gel and modelling paste to mimic the texture of a cement/concrete wall. This created a nice contrast with the softness of the portrait. The monochromatic, black & white background is used to draw in focus to Ursula, as she is in full colour. I had some trouble with fitting the text in some spaces; however, I solved it by altering the text’s
Ursula
Meegan Lim
Acrylic on Canvas Board
I Am Human focuses on the theme of homelessness and the sad reality of what a homeless person goes through every day. No one knows their story and truthfully, not many care enough to ask them for it. Besides the fact that many homeless people lose their ID card, their identity is inevitably taken away from them once they are homeless. They become invisible to the public, and they are ignored just as much as the garbage on the side of the streets – they are not even considered human anymore. Although not everyone can relate to being homeless, I am sure (almost) everyone can relate to being guilty of ignoring a homeless person, giving them a weird look, or a remark that may or may not have …show more content…
She was a bright light as soon as she walked in and was charged with enthusiasm when I told her about my project and my intentions. She is not homeless anymore, and has gotten up on her feet to face life. I asked her two questions: What are your experiences with the stereotypes of being homeless? & How would you or your friends describe yourself? This resulted in some sad conversations and ones that brought a huge smile to my face. For this first piece, I wanted to portray her larger-than-life personality; so, I decided to keep her yellow hoodie as it reflected her energy perfectly. Ursula is placed in the centre of the composition and there are answers from both questions surrounding her. In white (on the right), are the negative stereotypes that have impacted her directly, or indirectly through friends. In black (on the left), are her genuine traits that are often masqueraded by the stigma of homelessness. The greys in the background are shifted in value to create asymmetrical balance between the text colours. I decided to incorporate the text into the piece to show the polarization of perspectives, there is such large disconnect between the person and the stereotype. I approached painting techniques that helped to represent life on the streets; so, I created varying textures with tissue paper, pumice gel and modelling paste to mimic the texture of a cement/concrete wall. This created a nice contrast with the softness of the portrait. The monochromatic, black & white background is used to draw in focus to Ursula, as she is in full colour. I had some trouble with fitting the text in some spaces; however, I solved it by altering the text’s