Taking Flight

Oil Pastel

This painting reflects the deeply personal and emotional journey of immigration, especially through air travel, as most immigrants experience. The artist created this piece as a way to express their own experience of immigrating to the U.S. and the complex feelings that come with it.

On the left, a mother and child stand together, symbolizing the sacrifice of leaving home for a new life. A halo suggests the almost sacred duty of providing a better future for the next generation. Nearby, lovers embrace, but parts of them pull away, representing the strain that moving to a new country can place on relationships. The man with his head on fire captures the artist’s own anxiety and fear of deportation before becoming a U.S. citizen.

A family of four looks excited, but their oversized shadows remind us of the weight of the past, as the life left behind often feels bigger than the present. At the center, heaven and hell intertwine, reflecting the uncertainty of whether immigration will lead to success or hardship. Finally, the bottom scene shows people waiting—a nod to the long, exhausting years of bureaucracy and uncertainty that come with the immigration process.