Emily Lim

“What is your favorite artwork?”

Curatorial Rationale

Childhood is a moment in one’s life when looking back may be full of gaps and forgetfulness, but the nostalgic emotions linger. The theme for this exhibition is childhood nostalgia and the innocence of youth. I was inspired by this theme because childhood is a time when imagination and creativity are in their purest form, without the interference of prior knowledge. I wanted to work with bright colors and express emotions that are heartwarming and uplifting. My artworks consist of various mediums such as acrylic paint, gouache paint, watercolor, mixed media, digital, and printmaking! Each style has its way of capturing vibrancy, unique textures, and intricate lines. My artworks are divided into two separate categories, ones depicting childhood imagination and ones depicting snippets of my childhood.

Imagination is endless! You can make a friend, picture an adventure, or go wild with creativity! The first half of the artworks depict the innocence behind childhood imagination along with its spontaneity. These artworks are not inspired by a specific reference image but are mainly products of my exploration of different mediums to test the boundaries of color theory and inorganic shading. Two artworks are inspired by puns I had thought of to trigger creativity and lighthearted jokes. These artworks are titled “Imagine-ocean” (Imagination) and “You are one in a Melon!” (You are one in a million). Most artworks in this half of the exhibition were made to reflect the art style of a children’s book illustration. I aimed to capture this style to enhance the feeling of innocence and eye-catchingness to a younger audience. The final project that I worked on to include in this exhibition is “In the Clouds” which is a digital art piece that I have printed onto a metal poster board to signify the end of childhood. Although this artwork may seem bittersweet, there is a positive message that imagination and creativity still follow us throughout our lives regardless of our age.

Have you ever looked back on an image of your childhood and forgot what you did when the picture was taken but you can appreciate how cute you look? I wanted to trigger these emotions through the second half of my exhibition. This half consists of artworks that reflect happy memories from my childhood. The artworks are referenced from childhood pictures of my family members and me. The larger acrylic paintings of the ocean and a grassy field were made with a certain stippling technique I experimented with last year. The ocean painting was created first but because I enjoyed the movement and texture the technique provided, I created the grassy field painting as a second part of the series. Throughout the 2024 through 2025 school year, I picked up a new medium which was gouache paint. This medium was the most exciting tool I used to create some of my favorite works in this exhibition. Gouache was used to capture vibrancy, opacity, layers, depth, and blending. The control I was able to have with the perfect consistency of the paint allowed me to create multiple artworks with this medium. The latest project I added to this half’s exhibition was my exploration of digital art and realism. Using digital art allowed me to capture the smallest details within a work as well as giving me limitless possibilities of paint brush thickness, texture, and most importantly, colors.

Even though I had explored various mediums, the theme of childhood nostalgia and the innocence of youth was kept throughout these works to elicit sentimental feelings to my audience. These artworks are a personal reflection of my fondness of the past along with my appreciation of purity in imagination.

As the viewer, I hope this exhibition ignites a feeling of nostalgia to reflect on one’s childhood and fond memories. Sometimes, saying goodbye to moments is bittersweet, but we shouldn’t be sad that those moments are over but rather be happy that we were able to experience those memories.

Emily’s Artwork

  • Hold On Tight!

    Acrylic Paint on Canvas, 50.8 cm x 40.6 cm

    I used an old picture of my father and me at the beach as a reference for this painting. I wanted to emphasize the texture of the seafoam. I used a triadic and monochromatic color scheme throughout the painting by using various shades of blue and a touch of red and yellow at the focal point. The painting consists of stippling except for the center of the piece to focus the attention on my father and me. A reflection is seen at the bottom of the painting to show the effect of wet sand

  • Play Pretend

    30.48 cm x 22.86 cm, Gouache on paper

    This gouache painting was inspired by a childhood photo of me roleplaying as the wizard Harry Potter. I aimed to capture the innocent smile and pure joy in my expression as a child. Childhood embodies the creativity of an adolescent imagination and the ability to believe in fantasy stories. I used gouache and watercolor as mediums: gouache brought out vibrant, blendable colors and allowed for layering, while watercolor served as a base layer to block in the colors.

  • Mwah!

    21.0 cm x 29.3 cm, Gouache on paper

    This gouache painting was inspired by a childhood photo of my mother and me taking a selfie while wearing lipstick. I aimed to capture womanhood in this piece through the use of makeup and the act of taking a selfie. I used gouache to portray the depth of the skin, as well as the subtle creases that form on the face when smiling or making a kissy face. The light blue highlights draw attention to the faces and contrast with the bright orange lipstick, bringing attention to the facial expressions.

  • Let's Go Em!

    Acrylic Paint on Canvas, 50.8 cm x 40.6 cm

    I aimed to express the lighthearted simplicity of childhood. For my reference, I used a photo of my brother and me at the park as young kids. I incorporated stippling throughout the entire background to create a unified texture surrounding us. In contrast, I rendered my brother and me with intricate detail at the center of the canvas, mimicking the effect of a photograph where the background is blurred, and the focal point is sharp and clear.

  • I Know THE WAY

    Linoleum block print and gouache on paper, 33cm x 34 cm

    This artwork is a combination of linoleum print using ink and watercolor paint. I was inspired by Andy Warhol’s Marilyn Monroe print series. The contrasting colors of each section of the artwork represent the 4 seasons of the year. The girl is leading the way for the ducklings to find and discover what they are looking for in an adventure. This mirrors childhood and the process of learning and taking small risks at a time

  • Imagine-ocean

    Acrylic, Watercolor, Alcohol Markers on Paper, 35cm x 30cm

    In this piece, I aimed to capture the innocence and vivid imagination of children. Using multiple mediums, I added depth, detail, and texture to bring the artwork to life. Inspired by Eric Carle's paper-making technique, I created an oceanic background filled with rich textures and colors. The story behind the piece centers on a girl who adores ocean animals but sees her own imaginary sea monster as the coolest of all.

  • Everyone Counts

    Watercolor on Paper, 18 cm x 24 cm

    The inspiration behind this watercolor painting was the childhood belief that stuffed animals were alive, so you’d bring them all to bed to make sure none felt left out. When creating this painting, I layered watercolor from light to dark colors to create contrast and depth. The watercolor provided soft and innocent nostalgia to the piece. I allowed the bottom of the art piece to fade into a blank white as if the illustration was part of a storybook page.

  • You are one in a melon!!

    Watercolor on Paper, 23 cm x 15 cm

    I was inspired by LaurenIllustrated, an artist on Instagram who creates wholesome fruit pun artworks. Adding my own twist, I incorporated melon besties featuring a watermelon and cantaloupe. The pun "You are one in a Melon" plays on "You are one in a million." I used watercolor to highlight the fresh and vibrant colors of the fruit and added white gel pen accents to brighten the characters' expressions, showing joy.

  • Above the clouds

    Digital (IbisPaint X), 2121 x 3181 Px

    This digital artwork reflects the theme of childhood and nostalgia. I wanted to capture a teenage girl running through the clouds (which mimic the ocean) as if she is finishing her childhood yet her imagination follows her. I used an image taken by my brother, Arahan Lim, to create this artwork as his photography inspired me to digitally paint the clouds like the ocean. The message behind this artwork is that no matter how much we’ve grown up since being children, that imaginative spark stays within us.

  • Summer Vacation

    Digital (IbisPaint X), 750 x 868 Px

    This digital artwork connects to theme of childhood nostalgia and innocence. The artwork is referenced from an image of my grandmother and me during summer vacation when I visited her in Korea. This was one of my first attempts creating a complete and detailed digital painting and used various digital brushes to achieve the clean and serene look. I tried to make this artwork Idyllic to capture the simplicity of childhood.