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Phone Frenzy
This award-winning artist explores today's technology
How does Keiji use layering to share his ideas?
Keiji Ishida expresses his ideas through his art. “My style is very abstract, political, and bold,” says Keiji, a senior at the Los Angeles County High School for the Arts in Los Angeles, California. Keiji, 17, makes art that isn’t literal but instead helps people think on a deeper level. He will attend the Paris College of Art in Paris, France, in the fall and hopes to work as a full-time artist someday.
What inspired this painting?
My inspiration came during a trip to Japan. I was in the subway and was shocked that everyone on the train was on their phones constantly. It scared me to think about what will happen as technology expands.
How did you develop your composition?
Originally, I wanted to paint a series of faces and cell phones, but that seemed too literal. Then I realized that hands convey emotional gestures just as effectively as faces do. I wanted to create the sense that you’re in a cage with the technology. By crowding so many hands and phones together, I also created a sense of frenzy.
What was your working process?
Keiji Ishida
First, I made sketches of people using their phones and other details as I rode the Japanese subway. Then I chose my color palette for the background. I outlined my composition on a canvas using the sketches as a reference and then painted the background in acrylic. Finally, I took photos of people’s hands holding phones. Using the photos as reference, I layered the hands onto the painting in black using a fine acrylic pen.
Why did you choose these colors?
I wanted to contrast modern technology with traditional Japanese culture. To do that, I worked with the colors and patterns I saw in Japanese kimonos.
What did you want the viewer to walk away with?
I wanted the viewer to think about how quickly technology is expanding and how—if we aren’t careful—we will lose the human connection that brings us together as people.
Do you have any advice for aspiring artists like yourself?
When you make art, ask yourself, “So what?” If you ask yourself that question constantly, it will push you to enhance your work and develop your ideas.
Keiji won a Gold Medal for his painting in the 2016 Scholastic Art & Writing Awards.
To find out more about this program, visit artandwriting.org.
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