Caitlin Hickey - Narrative Collage

 

 

For my narrative collage I wanted to do a Harry Potter theme as a gift for my sister. My sister has always loved Harry Potter. She has a trivia game and has even tried to design her bedroom Harry Potter themed. Although she is a junior in high school, she has enjoyed the memories associated with Harry Potter and her childhood. As a junior in high school, she has had a lot to think about lately including college, SATs, growing up, and other new responsibilities. Candidly, it has been a difficult time for her like many other seventeen year olds. 

I wanted to make a painting that she could hang in her room and remind her of her childhood. My narrative collage depicts a Harry Potter when he was still relatively young, Hogwarts, the Golden Snitch, and a quote.

I chose Harry Potter because that is what I wanted my main image/ theme to be. I painted Hogwarts in the back because it is a crucial element to the Harry Potter series; there are so many memories for Harry in Hogwarts, and when my sister was younger she always wished to attend a school like Hogwarts. I also painted the Golden Snitch. The Golden Snitch was a salient and recurring motif in the Harry Potter series. At first, the Snitch was just an object in the game of Quidditch that Harry tries to obtain to win the matches, but the meaning of the snitch changes throughout Harry’s childhood. As Harry grows up, the Snitch is no longer just an object in an insignificant game, it becomes an important element that Harry must use later on to defeat Lord Voldemort. Out of all the motifs in the series, I thought this one was the most fitting. As my sister grows up, she has new responsibilities like the Snitch but these new responsibilities and lessons learned from childhood are crucial to conquering her adult life. 

I also included the quote, “I solemnly swear I am up to no good”. This was a quote Harry said in the series. I thought it was a fun and playful quote. When my sister was young she was a little bit of a troublemaker at times, and I thought this quote was fitting for her.

I hope she enjoys the painting!