Prospective Student & Artist

Cicero

24" x 18" 

2023

Graphite pencil on bristol paper

Drawing from plaster casts is a constructive way to learn about the structure of the human head. In this piece, I start to add the background as a reference for the value scale of the whole work. I’m very grateful to have access to my art school’s extensive plaster cast collection to experience what artists through the centuries have learned from.

 
 

Portrait Study from Observation

24" x 18" 

2023

Graphite pencil on newsprint paper

I am working very hard to understand the core principles of light and shadow. I start by building the underlying form, then observe how light casts across the surface of the subject.

Cicero

24" x 18" 

2023

Graphite pencil on bristol paper

Drawing from plaster casts is a constructive way to learn about the structure of the human head. In this piece, I start to add the background as a reference for the value scale of the whole work. I’m very grateful to have access to my art school’s extensive plaster cast collection to experience what artists through the centuries have learned from.

Portrait of a Woman

24" x 18" 

2023

Graphite pencil on newsprint paper

This piece helped me to understand how the terminator line moves through the form and divides light and shadow. The terminator line only exists because of the presence of reflected light.

Cicero

24" x 18" 

2023

Graphite pencil on bristol paper

Drawing from plaster casts is a constructive way to learn about the structure of the human head. In this piece, I start to add the background as a reference for the value scale of the whole work. I’m very grateful to have access to my art school’s extensive plaster cast collection to experience what artists through the centuries have learned from.

 

Otherworldly Audience

24" x 18" 

2021

Gouache on toned paper

This is a self-portrait I created showing my personal interests. I’m very curious about mythology, astrology, and the history of art. Everyday ideas are spiraling around me and I feel like I’m transported to another time and place when I keep learning about them. Each area of my being becomes electrified with color and mystery. To create rhythm, I used collage to figure out my composition. I could move each element independently to see if the layout was balanced.

Harmony of the Earth’s Spirits

24" x 18" 

2021

Gouache on toned paper

Nature has a way of showing us its underlying pattern and structure effortlessly. I wanted to create a piece that shows the harmony of all of its elements. I hope that humanity can eventually take cues from nature to ensure a healthy and symbiotic future for our planet.

A Mother’s Love

24" x 18" 

2021

Gouache on toned paper

For me, nature is a mirror to a mother’s love and nurturing characteristics. This is a painting of not only nature but also my mom. I am very grateful to have her and she is extremely important to me. She supports me in everything I do and I know that is very special.

 

Part 1: The Goddess’s Sword in the Volcano

11” x 16”

2021

Gouache on toned paper

This painting depicts a monumental volcanic island ruled by a tyrant god. On the left, we can see that sometimes the island is fertile and welcoming, but at other times it can be destructive and inhospitable.


Part 2: Courageous Journey

11” x 16”

2021

Gouache on toned paper

In this piece, I show a girl on a journey of discovery to save her people. Their island has been destroyed by an unruly god who has begun to scorch every inch of their homeland. I placed the girl in her boat in the middle and the start of the island’s destruction beyond her. She leaves what is comfortable and familiar on the left, but starts to move away from the tragedy on the right.

Part 3: Heavenly Island

11” x 16”

2021

Gouache on toned paper

A procession of scattered boats guides the rhythm of the composition. I wanted this piece to feel hopeful, happy, and relieving. The girl and her family have found a new home without a tormenting god. Nature is bountiful here and draws them in closer.

Our Beautiful Planet

18” x 24”

2020

Gouache on bristol paper

The health of our planet is so important, even the parts that tourists visit infrequently. The painting shows the upper part of a mountain far from civilization in morning dew.

Colorful Fruit

18" x 24"

2020

Gouache on bristol paper

This still life was really fun to paint. I was challenged to enhance the colors and change the background while maintaining accurate light and shadow. It was very difficult but an exercise I do often now.

A Peaceful Moment Alone

11"x 14"

2021

Gouache on toned paper

I focused mainly on large masses of light and shadow, as well as capturing depth through adding blue into the trees farther away from us. In art class, we learn a lot about atmospheric perspective. I really liked painting nature during COVID because it helped to take my mind away from everything and transport myself somewhere sunny. This piece was inspired by an old master’s painting.

 

Animating Objects

18" x 24"

2020

Gouache on toned paper

I wanted to paint these grapes as if there were beginning to come to life. Art is really interesting because I can give a story to anything or object.

Classical Design

16” x 11”

2021

Gouache on bristol paper

I used very neutral colors both warm and cool to add a sense of nostalgia. I really like this piece because I was able to capture the values of the still life I was painting successfully. Doing this adds depth, and you don’t always need every detail. Sometimes less is more.

Study of Water and Light

11” x 16”

2020

Gouache on toned paper

I like to create paintings that have a story that transport you to a new time, but are also technically accurate. I feel that being able to understand light and shadow allows me to be more articulate with the feeling I’m trying to show.

6” x 8” x 4”

2021

Mixed Media Sculpture

In this piece, I wanted to combine my passion for writing and my passion for art together. I began by freewriting on some painting paper that I had in my room. These free writing/poems reflected on the current state of the world and how current events will have a major impact on our futures. Many of us have been told that we are too young to have an opinion on global issues, but we are the most concerned because decisions being made now can ensure, or destroy the possibility for us to live somewhat peaceful lives. We want ecological stability, social equity and so much more. 

I began to feel frustrated, so I decided to fragment my pages of freewriting by cutting and bending them. After this, I wanted to create a “drawing in space” or “sketchbook in space” by turning these pieces into a painted sculpture that reveals small portions of writing the more the viewer looks at them. At the same time, I usually work with realism, so I wanted to experiment with abstraction and create a balanced composition using shape, color, and line.