Art, Imagery
Refuge
November 24, 2018
“Refuge”- Gouache
This painting depicts the journey and experiences of the refugee boat people. The textures and swirls of the water portray the beauty and wonder of the water, yet also emphasize the tumultuous and dangerous nature of the sea.
Artist Biography
Maya Lê Espiritu is an Asian American artistinterested in bright and bold, colorful artwork. Her Vietnamese name is Mai- and thus the inspiration for her trademark: Mai Art Gallery.She received a BA in Psychology with a focus on child development, and an Asian American Studies minor, from Scripps College. She is currently a first grade teacher. She is also an aspiring children’s book writer and illustrator, and is the creator of the site MaiStoryBook.com that provides reading resources, including guided read aloud videos, for parents and teachers to promote early literacy.She works with gouache, acrylics, and prismacolor pencils. She is available for commissioned artwork and is always excited for a new creative challenge. Artistic publications include: Book Cover Art, Body Counts: The Vietnam War and Militarized Refuge(es), UC Press, 2014; Flip Book on the Vietnam War, published in Asian American Literary Review, Fall 2015; Organization logo, National Association of Ethnic Studies, 2015; Symposium Poster Art, Southeast Asian American Legacies Symposium, UC Merced, 2015. ;Cover Art for a special issue on Southeast Asian refugees, Multi-Ethnic Literature of the U.S. (an academic journal in the field of multi-ethnic literature), 2016.
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Joji Davenport
December 7, 2018 • 10:38 PM
Maya,
Your artwork is stunning. Haunting, yet beautiful.
Ashley Amaladhas
February 28, 2019 • 7:30 PM
I love how vibrant your artwork is! I think the different textures and patterns you use add to the chaotic energy of the piece while still making it beautiful.
Angelica Torres
March 10, 2020 • 1:26 PM
Instantly, after looking at this peace of art, numerous of experiences came into my mind. I am an immigrant and this is really identifiable.
Priscilla Frayre
March 10, 2020 • 3:46 PM
Such a beautiful painting depicting the danger and beauty of nature in one. From class readings and discussion on the lived experiences of immigrants and refugee’s it is not simple to convey the multitude of emotions and experiences but you do just that in this wonderful artwork.
Frieda Orbach
March 12, 2020 • 1:35 PM
What I really like about this painting is that it takes a different perspective that refugees experienced. Focusing on the meaning of the water also provides insight as to how the people on the boats thought of the water, and what crossing the ocean meant. The texture added to the painting was also a clever touch to represent the turbulence of the ocean.
Tsung Wei Chao
March 17, 2020 • 12:02 PM
I like the emphasis of the ocean in this piece. It is truly mysterious and jarring, but also extremely deadly. A refugee’s journey into the unknown through these waters are perilous, and it is very unfortunate that they must undergo something like this. Yet, the ocean invites individuals to a journey that may be wonderful. Whatever new land one stumbles upon may not lead to impending danger, but maybe one of new opportunities.
Marisa Garcia Perez
March 17, 2020 • 9:36 PM
This painting is beautiful, I thought the incorporation of the ocean was gorgeous as well. What really speaks out to me is the use of the different textures, it allows us to understand that the ocean is not just “black and white” and that there are multiple layers to it. This goes hand in hand with the experiences of migrants and refugees, their journeys are not simple and instead hold important layers to them.
Rafelina Gomez
November 24, 2020 • 7:42 PM
I love how the waves are capured. They can be a path taken by people to end up somewhere for a better life, and in that way thr waves can be beautiful but they can also beunforgiving and take away lives, as seen in the little bodies drawn in the waves.
Leslie Santiago-Ruiz
February 18, 2022 • 2:49 PM
This is amazing! I like how there is meaning behind different aspects of this painting. For example, the way the waves are structured does make it apparent that this is a tumultuous journey while also juxtaposing how it is also beautiful. Also, I think the fact that you are creating art like this for books and children’s books is very important. We need to see different perspectives like this.
Diana Calderon
February 23, 2022 • 9:07 PM
This is a beautiful painting that really encapsulates what it means to create art that can mean something to different communities. I love how it depicts the journey through the sea through the details of people in the waves through vibrancy and beauty.
Kathleen Shiroma
February 28, 2022 • 11:39 PM
This is so striking. The juxtaposition of the sharp, geometric shapes in the waves with the curves of the swirls create a dimensional piece with such depth to portray a refuge experience. Thank you so much for sharing.
Annie Tang
March 5, 2022 • 3:30 PM
I absolutely love this artwork! The vibrant colors are absolutely wonderful, with the different shades of blue. I love the way the water is textured with different patterns, and how the different types of patterns differentiate foreground and background (with sharper shapes in the background). I also really enjoy the composition of this - the curves of the wave draws the viewers’ eyes to the center of the piece, following the bodies in the water. This directionality really portrays the journey of the refugee boat people as they travel across the sea.
Melissa Schobert
December 1, 2023 • 9:27 AM
This art is devastating, yet beautiful. To contrast the different shades of blue with this depiction of a swirling boat in the midst of chaos is impactful in that it leaves viewers devastated. In the swirls of blue, we can see those lost at sea, spiraling downwards into the current. The fate of the boat also does not seem optimistic, as we can see it also spiraling with no end in sight. This is a sad truth that you have captured through your work and I appreciate you sharing this. Archival work told in stories, music, art, poetry, film, etc. is essential to preserving not only details of what has happened, but the emotions felt throughout in detail that we cannot see.