My 2022 in Art
- Christine Ong-Dijcks
- Dec 28, 2022
- 2 min read
I cannot believe 2022 is almost over and that we are rolling into 2023 already! As I sit here, I'm just thinking back through the year... and I decided to share the year in art with all of you.
We started of January 1st with an impromptu beach visit with friends. And it sparked an entire series of paintings, capturing Emotions of Humanity. This is the first one in the series:
It felt like the year was off to a good start, being able to go to the beach, hang out like in the pre-Covid days. We were excitedly planning our trip to Europe and then, all of a sudden Russia invaded Ukraine... And yes, we are far away living in sunny California, but it really hit home. Piggy was a bit depressed and Piggy asks WHY? Somehow, it felt like we slid back into the dark days of Covid. But then, there is always hope even if Piggy's red balloon is deflated.
To express my own little bit of support for Ukraine, I did paint this set of two paintings, inspired by the colors of Ukraine.
Spring and summer switched our mode out of the gloomy winter war months into travel mode. We did a major drive and spent time with friends in Zion, Bryce and Escalante national parks. We do live in an amazingly beautiful country.
Then in early summer, it was off to Europe. It had been 3 years since we last visited and met up with family and friends. A lot of art came out of this trip as I took along a watercolor set. Some of the favorites are these city scapes of, Amsterdam and Porto.
Summer however, also turned out to bring a big personal loss, as my dad unexpectedly passed away. I miss him dearly, every day!
And it seems this year just keeps on going between dark and light. As the dark entered, so does the light. I got an amazing opportunity to create a set of paintings and exhibit at the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative. I'm sure my dad is proud of my work and he watched it all unfold from upon high.
After this roller coaster of emotions, the year settled down a bit, and I got to work through it all. Somehow we need to move on, and in my case, Piggy had something to say about that.
Unfortunately, now we are in December and the war in Ukraine is still going, but thanks to everyone's support, Ukraine is still a free country. Reminiscing about this, I just dug out an older piece and gave it an update.
Fingers crossed this war will soon end and peace will return. We've got to do something to give ourselves hope!
Closing out the year, I created Girlfriends. The fifth painting in the Emotions of Humanity. Me and my family are blessed with friends who lighten up our lives. I hope this painting lightens up all of your lives.
From me and my family, wishing you all the most amazing friends in the world. Hopefully 2023 will be wonderful. Embrace your friends and your family. Stay safe and healthy!
Christine
PS. My next exhibit will be in San Francisco, starting in January. Stay tuned for more on that.
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