Bloom
Mohamed Elhassan
Chrysanthemum
Mohamed Elhassan
Roar
Mohamed Elhassan
Artist’s Statement
I was exposed to the novelty of maintaining and drafting ideas in a sketchbook in the summer of the sixth grade—I’d kept one before, but not with the same goal as I had now. Opening the book and seeing the blank pages filled me with an uncertainty that normally comes with a changing environment. Prismacolors, acrylics, micron pens, and many other mediums found themselves sprawled across the many pages of the book. Working in my sketchbook allowed for a fresher view: a new place to think, almost like a new room.
Over the years this room has served as my solace. I not only escape the mundane but I explore the refreshing lessons that my life has taught me. Many times do I find strife, love, and understanding strike down at the end of my pencil. As such, I observe almost as often as I create; I explore the ugly perspectives through my art and I explore the gorgeous. For me, drawing, painting, and sketching are the ways I communicate. Graphite shards carry with them whole worlds of their own.
about the artist
Mohamed Elhassan is a senior at Hammond High School in Columbia, Maryland, originally born and raised in Sudan. His work mainly incorporates his strong views on animal rights, nature, and climate change in its visual metaphors. He has been published in the Interlochen Review, Riggwelter Press, and more. Aside from art, he enjoys splashing in puddles and listening to midnight rain showers.