Angela's AP Studio Art

This has been a crazy year for me. A lot of personal things happened in the beginning of the year. It was pretty hard to get through. Ap art allowed me to express how i was feeling through my art work. My artwork shows the changes i experienced with myself throughout the year. It also shows how everything has effected me in different ways. Ap allowed me to grow and test my skills with a variety of different art styles. It also allowed me to figure out who i am and who i want to be. It showed me that even though everything around me may suck at the moment it gets better with time. My concentration was the main focus of what i was experiencing throughout the year. It shows everything i was battling by myself in my own ways. It also helped me develop my new art style that I have today. Life may suck at times but never give up.

When you look at someone can you see all they have been through? Is their act pretty well put together? Can you see past their fake smiles and see how deeply they are hurting inside? I’ve always had to put up a front with others to save myself from more hurt, from dealing with how others react to my appearance, seemingly never ending depression and anxiety, to putting others problems onto myself. This broke me down and built me back up, always trying to please the world but not myself.

You can change for the better or worse, depending on how you react to it. i always keep things in & hiding my true feelings, wearing different masks every day just to get by to the next day. Simple anxiety can be very crippling, making simple everyday things seem almost impossible. Like having someone behind you saying “you aren’t good enough” or “Their just lying again”. There’s a little monster inside my head feeding me lies. Making me believe things that aren’t true, making me over think everything & everyone.

Depression, never ending pit of sadness & anger. Fills you up inside until you can’t take it anymore. Having random break downs. Taking it out on the people you love the most without really seeing it yourself. Makes you do things that you normally wouldn’t but you. Sometimes it comes without reason & stays like a leach slowly sucking you dry.

Being a wolf in a world of sheep isn’t easy. Always trying to fit in when you really don’t fit in at all. Trying to please others while destroying yourself. Becoming the complete opposite of yourself. I always tend to put others problems onto myself to make it easy for them. I’m to loving & caring, they just take advantage. Taking everything I have to give but giving nothing in return. It’s a never ending cycle but the world is already bad enough so I try to put good into it.

Katt's AP 2D Studio Art

AP has been a very interesting learning experience. I learned more about myself as an artist and I feel I have improved a lot over the year. Not only in terms of my abilities but also as a person. I still am a perfectionist and a bit of a procrastinator, but I have become more accepting of my mistakes and instead of giving up right away, I have gotten better at trying to solve the problem and incorporate it into the piece. All in all I think AP was a very fun experience and one that taught me a lot and strengthened my friendships with my fellow APers.

My concentration is based on stories. These stories were passed down orally until they were written down after being told and retold for generations. These storytellers would often edit the endings to make them less violent for children. But take Grimm’s fairy tales for example, they didn’t censor themselves; they left the brutal endings as was intended. Not everything has to have a happy ending. I took the child-friendly stories and twisted them back to include the darker themes.

When I was younger I loved to read fairytales and myths. The vivid imagery they brought to mind has continued to inspire my art as I got older. I wanted to explore this passion while taking it in a new direction. I intended to give a darker take on my favorite stories while exploring them through a variety of mediums. Images 2-4 were inspired by watercolor illustrations often found in children’s books. They have a child-like feel to them. As I continued my exploration my lines became harsher and more defined as I explored colored pencil as a medium in images 5-7. Skeletons are also a more prominent symbol from image 7 on. I felt they added a sinister element, contrasting with the rich colors of the acrylic paint. I feel image 8 especially is an exceptional example of this. Several stories are repeated throughout my concentration as I delved into different themes. Image 1 shows Rapunzel turning into her tower from waiting so long, while image 12 shows her having died during the wait. By the end of my investigation I’m pleased with the variety of poses, colors, and mediums I’ve included. I chose each subject matter and composition carefully based on what I intended to convey to the viewer.

Mary's AP Art Studio

AP ART has given me quite the insight. Battling my skills to  accomplish pieces in a certain amount of time and the ability to self-approve of my creations have only strengthened my perception on life. This class has enriched the thought that I am my biggest critic, and once I come to terms with being overly judgemental I can finally release myself into this world and freely ooze myself all over God's plantations. I am a woman of revolution, revolution of independence with a hint of vibrancy. Conformity has only engulfed me into its horrors; giving me the false belief that I must stay in the lines. Art has offered me the distinct opportunity to swallow the thoughts of society in whole and regurgitate my own perceptions.

My concentration focuses on the mental and physical development on my perception of reality. The provincial views I’ve suffered involving the purpose of life started in a concentrated manner. I lacked wisdom and vibrancy which showed in my beginning art with the dull tones and strict artistic methods. As I engaged in experiences and opportunities with both artistic abilities and world insights, I have shaped my mind from a 2-D atmosphere of law into an individualized universe of enlightenment.

The artwork in which I have entwined myself in has portrayed my crucial drive towards an organic mind. I began this year with an isolated vision to stay in the lines of life. As I suffered the manmade dream that society had preprogramed into my destiny, I developed pieces of art that remained hopelessly conformed in character. My concentration is first revealed through a self-portrait to emphasize the illusory restraints that kept me confined within the lines and drained of color. Although I began with such restriction, through opportunities and experiences my discovery of self has aided me in developing a more individualized and free artistic strategy. Moving away from conformity, I sought beauty in abstract realism and created pieces based on that movement. With those pieces I enhanced my vibrancy and even opened my mind to a bigger picture. This “big picture”, involved the deception of society’s order and the strength of my own. I gathered my experience from both a strict vision and a surreal outlook and unveiled my artistic nirvana.  With the birth of combined methods I demonstrated my route to self-discovery by finding myself through the freedom of art. 

Emily's AP Studio Art

AP has been a roller coaster ride for me over these 9 months. Although we had some assigned projects, I really liked the freedom to explore what I really wanted to capture in my pictures. Taking art this year helped me grow as an artist and kept my stress level low.

My concentration focuses on a teenage girl who is suffering with depression. My goal was to show her story and battle with self-harm with each picture. The project gave me the opportunity to match a face to a reoccurring problem that many teens face.

My concentration is a PSA to raise awareness about self-harm and that what you say to people could leave a damaging effect. With the help of my subject, I showed the physical effects caused by hurtful words said out of ignorance. Even though she is in the process of healing, she is still shy to tell her story and feels alone. She is not only scarred physically, she is scarred mentally. I tried the pictures in color, black and white, and sepia. I felt that color did not fully capture the emotions I wanted to portray. The black and white edits made the subject look nonhuman, or monster-like. The sepia edit captured the emotions and still kept the human quality. This project is a journey throughout perception…from pencil sharpener to a resource…from clean to scarred…from how you see a person to how they in fact see themselves.

Cheyenne's AP Studio Art

AP has ended up being something I never expected. Along with having some assigned projects to make me think,  I enjoyed having the freedom to photograph whatever I wanted for the most part. The most encouraging part of this course is that I will get college credit for free for doing what I love and photography is exactly what I am going to school for, so everything I have learned with my AP class as well as my two other photography classes I took this year have most certainly prepared for continuing on with my photography and expanding my knowledge of the art form.

Most everyone has an inner struggle. Whether it be confusion, depression, hatred of one’s self, or any other emotion; ergo, that is what I decided to focus on. My concentration focuses on those inner struggles through my self-portraits and the help of Photoshop. I photographed myself in states in which I have personally experienced as well as those of other people. Though very abstract, I have expressed emotion, in most cases deeper ones, to show the true struggle people face in life.

Having chosen to focus my concentration on emotion and one’s inner struggles, I was guided to show the inner feelings but have also shown the faces of those who hide those emotions with a less concerning facial expression. A smile is one of the most common facial expressions used to cover up any inner distress, although not everyone is so strong as to put on that smile to hide it. Through the series of photos, I had used Photoshop to my advantage as it gave the photos more meaning when it came to expressing the emotions in a stronger fashion. The layering of the images showed the different layers of emotions within someone. Starting off with a single, black and white image, I feel, opens the viewer up to what is in store throughout the rest of the series. Regarding the next photo, I layered several images to portray the feeling of paranoia or being trapped and not being able to get out. Continuing, many different emotions were layered to express the feeling one may have as they struggle to fight though the feelings. Being relieved with some layered images of a smiling faces portrays the smile someone can put on to hide what is deeper within. I feel this all relates to me and my inner struggles, creating this made me realize that I can relate to others as I too hide my deeper emotions with a smile.

AP Studio Art Student Posts Coming Soon!

The AP Studio Art Students have finished their portfolios and all have been submitted to the College Board for review.  Now they are ready to share some of their work with the world. As in years past each student will have an opportunity to post their thoughts, concentration focus, and images to the Artroom 411 Blog over the next two weeks.  Please check back daily to see whats new. Remember the students really appreciate your comments and feedback.  They have worked hard over the past 9 months to develop their portfolios. A little positive feedback can go a long way!

Emily M. AP Studio Art

My senior year has been quite hectic. College apps, AP exams and activities have made this year especially important for my future. The one thing I ever turned to for relaxation was my art class. Whether it be sketching or painting, creating art gave me the opportunity to get away from the world and focus on what I was creating.
This year I wanted to create a diverse portfolio and expand my repertoire of mediums. so, I used everything from graphite to watercolor, and drew anything from coins to portraits.

My concentration focuses on women from different places around the world facing adversity. It is dedicated to their strength and courage to face those adversities every day. The project gave me the opportunity to express my love for world cultures, and also sends an important message about the strength of women in overcoming their challenges in life. I, too, have faced challenges. I used that inner strength to overcome my challenges, and changed my life completely for the better.
My works depict women from various places around the world. The backgrounds are comprised of patterns and colors associated with their particular cultures. On each card I focused on representing the person’s personality and culture. The size is intended to be small, as I wanted the viewer to be able to hold it in their hands, to make it almost personal. Additionally, I envisioned the size to be symbolic, like a tarot card, intended to reveal something to the viewer about herself. By seeing the card, she will see one word: “courageous”, written in each individual language. I chose this particular word because all women, no matter where they live, share a common thread of inner courage. Whatever path in life a woman takes, she will need that courage. Around the world women are treated as inferior, and are burdened with countless expectations. I want to show that Women can do anything they set their mind to if they have courage. In the process of creating these pieces, I followed my own personal journey to overcome obstacles in my life, which made this intended message all the more personally fulfilling.