10/17/23, 9:32 PM
Conceptual Portrait
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Liberty University
Conceptual Portrait
Taylor Hamlett
Professor Abbott
ARTS 209 (001)
8 March 2022
10/17/23, 9:32 PM
Conceptual Portrait
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Within my conceptual portrait, I used imagery such as kintsugi artwork (the previously
shattered bowl), shattered glass, black chrysanthemums, black roses, and gladioli. Kintsugi
artwork is a Japanese form of art that embraces the idea that the past does not have to be hidden,
but rather embrace the flaws and imperfections. Putting something back together for a purpose
that previously had none is a beautiful concept, and it teaches the artist that it is so easy to break
something, but putting it back together is much harder, never looking as pristine as it had once
before. This is the focus of my conceptual portrait. Going through years of child abuse and being
diagnosed with C-PTSD a few years ago made me feel a lot like a shattered bowl. Through years
of therapy, however, I have managed to pick up the pieces left behind by someone else and
transform into something I feel of value again. I may always remember what happened and may
often reflect on the abuses I experienced, but I am whole. The gladioli flowers inside the bowl
represent strength. Although some days I may be more fragile than others, I am so much stronger
now that I have worked on myself and built myself up again.
Surrounding the bowl is dark imagery involving black flowers and shattered glass,
contrasting the golden cracks in the bowl and vibrant gladioli. Black roses alongside of the
Japanese black chrysanthemum traditionally represent mourning and death. Often, I find myself
mourning the childhood I failed to receive because of an abusive caregiver. It is also fitting that
black roses mean rebirth and new beginnings. By appropriately mourning my past, I can
simultaneously work towards a rebirth, putting away the years of troubling memories. Lastly, the
shattered glass can often present itself as something that was fragile is now broken, having
irreversible damage. This is how I used to see myself, but I have learned since then, that those
shattered shards do not have to be how I define myself. Through time and careful effort in
therapy, I helped build myself back together towards a more stable and healthier mindset.
10/17/23, 9:32 PM
Conceptual Portrait
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A high point in this project was the process of purposefully shattering the bowl, just to
put it back together again. Being very metaphorical and symbolic, the process was almost
emotional. Seeing something play out in a matter of almost an hour what took years to do for me
was surreal. Something special I took away from this project was that at first glance, a piece of
artwork may not look like much, but it can have a whole life’s worth of meaning behind it. Some
people may look at that shattered bowl, put together with glue and paint and not think twice
about it, but to me that is years of working through trauma and finally being at a healthy mindset
again.
10/17/23, 9:32 PM
Conceptual Portrait
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