“Ultimately, assumptions are an inevitable part of human perception. When approached with mindfulness and without distorting the artist’s intent, they can serve as a bridge between personal experience and artistic expression. The key lies in maintaining perspective—acknowledging our own interpretations while respecting the creator’s original vision. Understanding and appreciating the intent behind a work of art is essential in fostering meaningful engagement with it,” Kennesaw State University Assistant Professor in Illustration and Sequential Art Shuchita Mishra, PhD said. (Dominic McSpadden)
“Here in the US, oftentimes in some groups, it’s common that we wear the color black when we go to a funeral. But in many African-American communities, especially if they’re in certain Christian denominations, the preferred color is actually white at a funeral … One of the important things to recognize about any kind of color association with strong emotions, grief, depression, happiness, has a large cultural influence,” Professor of Art and Education at Kennesaw University, Diana Gregory said. (Dominic McSpadden)
“When expressing emotion, the color people use for depression is a dark, moody blue. The cool color undertone evokes that depressing mood, for example, Picasso’s blue period, the period where he mainly used blue in his paintings. Those colors would represent sadness or despair,” art teacher Natalie DePietro said. (Dominic McSpadden)
In response to this submission’s ideas, the artist drew friends spending time together. The tone of the image feels warm and yellow, which depicts joy and hopefulness. A coping mechanism that individuals commonly use, distracting themselves with happy activities, can help the healing process pass by quicker. Surrounding an individual with both people and activities he or she loves produces support for the one grieving and shows that his or her loved ones care. (Dominic McSpadden)
The colorfulness of the image represents the individual’s realization that the emotions they feel commonly occur in the majority of their peers. Relating to characters lets people feel less alone, so the TV screen appears in front of the figure with the words “I understand,” referring to the relatable media sources. Viewing characters in shows, video games or movies feels comforting to those grieving because seeing a character go through similar circumstances allows the one grieving to relate and feel less alone. (Dominic McSpadden)
Commonly, people need time to recover from grief before they appear in front of others. The piece shows a peaceful aspect of solitude; the sunrise in the background represents the start of a new day, which feels like a clean slate. By promising tomorrow’s freshness, the blank displays both acceptance and beauty. Time helps the one grieving by leaving space to feel better, as well as time to think to him or herself.
“I think taking time is the most important thing you can do, time really does heal wounds. Sometimes, all you need to do is be alone and do the things you love to feel better. As a high school student, I enjoy watching shows and having time to myself when I need comfort,” junior Opal Richardson said. (Dominic McSpadden)
