Ground Rules

Artwork story

Ground Rules explores childhood play as a metaphor for life's challenges. Inspired by Chinkus, a ground game requiring patience and persistence, the painting illustrates the journey from failure to mastery through repeated effort, represented in grids, graffiti, and symbolic forms. The crown signifies triumph, while the paper plane embodies the delicate yet potent drive of imagination. This interplay of struggle and aspiration situates the work within a broader dialogue on resilience, suggesting that the playful lessons of youth hold lasting significance in navigating identity and culture.

Ground Rules draws inspiration from my childhood experience of learning Chinkus, where I often struggled but eventually found success through persistence. This formative experience taught me that mastery is shaped by practice and patience. In this painting, I incorporate symbols such as the crown and paper plane to link this memory to broader life lessons. It serves as a reminder that resilience is cultivated through repetition rather than achieved overnight. My aim is to illustrate how the innocence of childhood games can convey profound truths about determination, growth, and the pursuit of purpose.