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Our Common Threads
Our Common Threads is a mural displayed on a deep black wall in the ChromaZone that reaches two stories in height. Capturing the majority of the wall’s space, is an Asian woman. The main point of focus is her face, with a bright skin tone that stands out against the flowing blue that shades most of the mural, including her hair. She is in the act of stitching threads and patterns into her dress, with smaller animals to her right and left. Overall, the mural is symmetrical and heavier toward the bottom. Against the black backdrop, the blue coloring, in addition to vibrant greens and pinks is bright and clear. There is even a tuft of purple hair that sticks up toward the front of her hairline and a white head piece that reflects Hmong culture, striped with black, which similarly stand out. Blue is certain to be the main color, in which her aqua hair transforms into waves of water toward the left of the mural. Additionally, her dress, which takes up the bottom half of the mural, is a similar bright blue that also seems to transform into clouds or waves on the left. The lines that evolve to these interesting features, all are thin and flow on a mysterious breeze. As if the lines themselves that paint the entirety of the mural, are themselves threads. Lines that weave and flow with both strength and grace.
When taking a closer look, other details begin to take form that appear to show Hmong culture. To the right of the mural, is a detached hand of the woman. Pink petals delicately fall from her palm, as blue fingers tightly hold a needle tied to a thread flowing to the right. A thread that is actively sewing small and intricate details of the lower segments of her dress, that continue to reflect Hmong culture. On the woman’s left, a deer sits sprinkled with a few colorful flowers. This deer mirrors a calmness similar to the woman, and gazes toward the stitch work of her dress. Assisting the mural, the wall of black behind the art is an extremely smooth backdrop; almost matte. To overlay the wall, the colorful mural is smoothed as well. Not one color appears solid, and all fade and flow in shades that help continue the smooth and curved appearance.
Looking closer still, reveals further intricate details seen in the mural’s foreground which stand stark against the smooth middle-ground and background. These many details bring together the reoccurring concept of Hmong heritage. There are small houses likely from a small Hmong village, that reside on the bodice of the woman’s dress. Reflecting on the blue coloring, an illusion of sky is created for the small village. There are also tiny people both toward the bottom and flowing fabric of her dress, and on floaties in her hair that further the illusion of water. More than likely, the villagers of the small village. Some are farming, and all are going about their day, in a calm and lovely environment. Next to a farming villager on the lower right of the mural, is a pink elephant that continues an Asian trend of beautiful representation. Overall, the detailed landscape continues the flow and weave of a landscape that has been solidified with the main woman of the mural. The subtle and primary features of the art fit together in sewing a powerful, yet soft message of Hmong beauty and strength that radiates from the mural. -
Our Common Threads
This mural was located on the northwest area of the ChromaZone, on the side of a custom apparel store. This mural features a whimsical-looking woman, who appears to be holding a thread and needle. She is accompanied by a deer-like creature and an elephant. The focal point of this piece is the woman, particularly her head. Her warm-toned skin stands out compared to all the bright colors that are used throughout the rest of the artwork. This piece is balanced; her head is pretty much in the middle of the horizonal axis of the wall. The art towards the bottom of the wall is evenly distributed on each side of the woman’s head. The artwork is bottom-heavy, with more of the mural’s content being located towards the bottom of the wall, while only the woman’s head and left hand are located at the top of the wall. There is little symmetry in the mural, with many of the details appearing abstract. The viewer’s attention is grabbed when they see the prominent woman on the wall, but shortly after they will notice all the details and other designs in the mural. The color palette used in this mural primarily consists of cool-toned, lighter colors. I hypothesize that the decision to make the background completely black was purposeful, to make the lighter colors in the mural stand out. The artist chose to use cool-toned colors because they match the mood of the mural. The woman’s expression does not appear to be uplifting and joyful; she looks slightly stone-faced and bothered. The usage of these cool tones reflects the woman’s expression. The deer and the elephant are painted in similar colors to the woman’s skin tone so that they match the woman, but also to stand out from the plethora of cool colors used throughout the mural. The author’s use of light and shading suggests that there is a light source coming from the right side of the mural – whether that be literally or metaphorically. This is displayed by the use of lighter shades on the right side of each object, while the left side consists of darker shades. Some evident examples of the shading can be found in the woman’s face, her dress, and the accompanying animals. The mural contains mostly thin lines; the artist devoted her time to creating art that was full of detail, rather than a large, bold piece. Overall, the lines are curvy, which replicates the theme that the artist sets with the needle and thread included in the mural. The curve and flow of the artwork illuminates a whimsical feel. It creates a smooth, and calm rhythm throughout the piece – from the waves of her dress to the thread that nearly ventures off the wall. There are a few straight lines in the geometric shapes near the bottom of the wall. However, it seems that these lines were included for detail purposes, rather than overall shape. The physical texture of the wall is similar to popcorn texture, but a little bit smoother. In the close-up photo that is included, you can see the physical texture of the wall. In terms of visual texture that the artists creates with her strokes, the painting appears soft. The woman’s hair looks soft and frizzy, which is displayed by the strokes and curls of hair that were painted. Her dress, which transforms into waves, appears light and flowy. It seems as if there is a gust of wind blowing through her hair, the thread, and the waves in her dress. This contrast between the physical and visual textures really makes the viewer question what they are looking at. The artist effectively uses a black background to make the rest of the mural stand out. Even the window frames and the door on the wall are painted black, which shows how much thought the artist put into making her art stand out. The artist prioritizes negative space in the mural by having a majority of the wall be the background. Even though the woman is the focus of the mural, she is actually in the middle ground. She stands out because she reaches the tallest point on the wall, however she is still positioned behind the deer and elephant. The animals, along with the woman’s arm, are in the foreground of the mural. They are layered on top of the rest of the painting. This allows the piece of fabric that the woman is holding to stand out more, enabling the viewer to notice the intricate designs on its surface. These objects are in the foreground to highlight the small details that were included. The artist creates depth by cutting out sections of the woman’s right shoulder and arm, which eventually turn into ocean waves. The background is very dark and seemingly never-ending, which emphasizes the vibrant colors of the mural and makes the art stand out even more to its viewers. Thao uses her talent to create a combination of composition, color, line, texture, and space in her mural to draw the attention of passersby and relay a message. A viewer is drawn to the mysterious woman, and only then are they conscious of everything else going on in the mural. The contrast between the whimsical feel and the woman’s stone-cold expression leaves the viewer to ponder the mural’s message and meaning.