Shane Sun (Sun Draws)

    Shane Sun (artist name Sun Draws) was born and raised in Long Beach. He remembers he started painting around the age of fourteen, but he began drawing much earlier than that. During his time in high school, Sun created comic books as a creative outlet.

    One of Sun’s formative experiences was when he spent time living in Oregon. While there, Sun worked for World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms (WWOOF), a movement that connects volunteers with organic farmers and growers. This seems to have started Sun’s personal relationship with the environment. When talking about nature, Sun expresses deep reflection. Water is a regular theme in Sun’s work, and the artist has put a lot of thought into the element and how it connects to the world and people,

    “The thing with water is that you can see it, but you also can’t. It’s inherently a transparent, see-through substance and yet the way in which light bends in it shows blue, which is our sky, too. We’re mostly water, which is also congruent with the percentage that Earth is, which is this weird parallel of the body of Earth and the body of human.”

    He grew up in a neighborhood between an eclectic Long Beach and a more conservative Los Alamitos. Sun was shaped by this dichotomy as an artist, and it shows in his work as well as his personal identity. For example, Sun’s artwork showcases the natural elements but includes bright colors like cerulean and fuchsia which are more common in pop culture than in nature. Sun describes himself as “this perpetual weirdo who just really wants to belong and really wants to connect with people” and says this is a struggle for him, and yet many people are able to connect with Sun’s work.

    Written by Amelia Nixon

    Sources: https://lbpost.com/life/shane-sun/, http://artslb.org/meet-the-pow-wow-long-beach-2018-mural-artists/

    Image Source (Top): - Long Beach Post -

    2018

    Empathy as Survival

    On the north side of a cafe called Wide Eyes Open Palms, a mural titled “Empathy as Survival” occupies a wall about the size of a garage door. The artist Shane Sun (artist name Sun Draws) was commissioned by POW! WOW! Long Beach to paint the mural for their summer 2018 festival. Visitors should approach the building from the south along Cherry Ave and be cautious of cars. “Empathy as Survival” is on the corner where they alleyway connects to Cherry Ave. The mural depicts two bright pink human hands holding a blue and white sphere that looks like the earth. The hands and orb are outlined in yellow. Surrounding this is a gray and white circle with a marbled pattern. The mural has a background of blue veined with white resembling the reflection of sunlight on clear pool water. “Empathy as Survival” contains symbolism of the natural elements as well as a greater environmental message. The element of water is most heavily influenced in this mural, along with earth. Hands are also a recurring image in Sun’s work, representing the human element. Of the mural’s message, Sun speaks of humanity’s relationship with the earth and with each other as people, saying, “I have a deep spiritual belief that humans are in their right place on this planet when we are stewarding the earth.” He hopes that his mural gives viewers a peaceful and positive feeling. Sun worked with the Wide Eyes Open Palms coffee shop in the design of “Empathy as Survival,” and had been following the business since it started as a pop-up and built up over five years. Sun created the mural using spray paint. Written by Amelia Nixon

    Source: https://www.lb908.com/single-post/2018/07/05/Pow-Wow-Brightens-the-City-With-Help-From-Shane-Sun

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