By Laura Hou
There are many hidden artists in Collingwood who picked up a paintbrush as soon as they could walk – and Cindy Cai is one such girl. She started painting when she was only four years old, which, for some of us, is when we simply played with sand and toys in this age of childish innocence. Cindy has experience with illustration, sketch, oil painting, and watercolour. When asked which medium is her favourite, she answered that she loves illustration and painting the most, and she wants to try digital art.
Cindy finds her inspiration in nature: a blade of grass, a whisper of the wind, or a flicker of the stars is where she finds her solace. Like most young people, Cindy looks up to her elders. For us, it might be our parents, but for Cindy, it is her art teacher that she looks up to in particular. Cindy claims that her art teacher’s styles are always creative and distinct. She is the one who gives Cindy ideas when she is hesitant. Cindy finds coming up with ideas and realizing what she truly wants to express in her artwork as being the most difficult for her.
Cindy’s favourite artist is Salvador Dali, who was an expert in surrealism; his artwork always gets you wondering what is real and what is not. As Salvador Dali once said, “Surrealism is destructive, but it destroys only what it considers to be shackles limiting our vision.”
There are many hidden artists in Collingwood who picked up a paintbrush as soon as they could walk – and Cindy Cai is one such girl. She started painting when she was only four years old, which, for some of us, is when we simply played with sand and toys in this age of childish innocence. Cindy has experience with illustration, sketch, oil painting, and watercolour. When asked which medium is her favourite, she answered that she loves illustration and painting the most, and she wants to try digital art.
Cindy finds her inspiration in nature: a blade of grass, a whisper of the wind, or a flicker of the stars is where she finds her solace. Like most young people, Cindy looks up to her elders. For us, it might be our parents, but for Cindy, it is her art teacher that she looks up to in particular. Cindy claims that her art teacher’s styles are always creative and distinct. She is the one who gives Cindy ideas when she is hesitant. Cindy finds coming up with ideas and realizing what she truly wants to express in her artwork as being the most difficult for her.
Cindy’s favourite artist is Salvador Dali, who was an expert in surrealism; his artwork always gets you wondering what is real and what is not. As Salvador Dali once said, “Surrealism is destructive, but it destroys only what it considers to be shackles limiting our vision.”
For someone to do art, he or she must first see what others cannot. Cindy expresses herself in this way through art. For her, art speaks to the mind and it expresses what words cannot form. Cindy believes that art is a way of communication; it is a way of coming up with ideas and putting them down using artistic materials. It is like what Sarah J Maas, a famous young adult author, said, “Words have power, a library is perhaps the most dangerous of all weapons.” But art? We all have a pen in our hands, but we can choose to produce words or a drawing with it.
Art is an imitation of what we see in life. That is why every art piece is different: it is because we all view the world in a different way. Art reveals a certain truth about ourselves; an artist’s sight is different from all others.
Art is an imitation of what we see in life. That is why every art piece is different: it is because we all view the world in a different way. Art reveals a certain truth about ourselves; an artist’s sight is different from all others.
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Besides art, Cindy spends her free time playing the piano, having started it recently. She was born into a family of musicians. Her mom and both of her sisters play instruments. Cindy says her favourite part about music is how it affects people’s emotions and moods, and how music can tell a story without the use of words. Cindy feels a connection between music and art, as they both speak for the soul. She encourages everyone to try art, saying, “Don’t be afraid to express your ideas or worry about your techniques. Just start a draft and work from that. A doodle is better than a blank piece of paper”.
Cindy plans on pursuing the fine arts after high school and her first choice of university is the Rhode Island School of Design. Cindy believes in Salvador Dali’s famous quote: “Intelligence without ambition is a bird without wings.” Best wishes to Cindy in the future as she pursues her dreams!
Cindy plans on pursuing the fine arts after high school and her first choice of university is the Rhode Island School of Design. Cindy believes in Salvador Dali’s famous quote: “Intelligence without ambition is a bird without wings.” Best wishes to Cindy in the future as she pursues her dreams!