I chose to make the avatar the way I did because my favourite colors are black and red. I started by taping the entire bottle, top to bottom, and painting it with a mix of the two colors. Next, I cut off the tape just below the bottle cap and removed everything above it. This allowed me access to the inside of the bottle. To allow the inside of the bottle to be seen, I ripped off pieces of tape to create holes around the sides of the bottle. I put water with just a drop of red paint inside the bottle to fill it all the way up. The darkness on the outside represents loneliness and the red colored water stuck inside the bottle represents feeling trapped. To further this idea, I took a plate and created wings. This represents again, my wanting to get away from the usual, everyday life. Though this is unable to happen, I twisted the wings in a way that is able to show their lack of flying ability. Finally, to finish it all off, I made an arrow and shot it through the bottle. This shows that no matter how hard I try, I am not allowed to live free. I am still held back by the wants and needs of my parents, rather than what I actually want to do.

I really enjoy your first 102 images! SERIOUSLY… Your mark-making and compositional intuition have allowed you to create some awesome abstractions. I’ll have to start turning you on to a few artists who have worked or currently work in ways similar to you. For the time being you should look at Raoul de Keyser and then look at your Familial ID pieces again. Pretty exciting stuff.

Happy New Year,

Mr. Miller