Bernice Wong

A Brief Respite

Passing by the frozen foods aisle during a grocery trip, I was inspired by the endless rows of fridges, the towering walls, and high ceiling. At the time, pushing a loaded shopping cart was very tiring, so I allowed myself a break and looked around. Perhaps I felt tired, but the scene around me truly felt novel. I went home that day and drew this piece, expanding beyond my inspiration and incorporating my sentiments. The looming red represented my fatigue while the blue was the development of my imagination. In the bottom left, you can see a creature pressing upon the glass. Across from it, another creature has already broken out. As the viewer, you might wonder, where did it go? Why isn't it in the aisle? Here, I purposefully left the aisle empty as to emphasize the underlying stress in daily life. The creature that has broken out is not here, but it may return, prompting you to keep it in the back of your mind. Observe the glass on bottom right, it’s already cracked. After all, it was only a brief respite.