Glenelg High School
Layla Flores
Grade: 11 Course: Photography II AP Title: The Shadows Among Us Medium: Digital Photography Instructor: Rachel Stein Artist Statement An illusion is defined as a factor that could lead the senses to interpret a thing incorrectly; a deceptive appearance, a false notion, a false belief. I wanted to illustrate this by showing an individual who is faithfully religious with the shadows of evil spirits watching her closely as she sleeps. To demonstrate the meaning visually, I had my model sleeping, holding the crucifix, with a rosary around her, and in white clothing to suggest her as a precious spiritual figure. In order to portray the evil unholy spirit, I created stencils and placed them in front of a red light to create an unnerving feeling. My work references the good vs. evil archetype, the inner voice that anyone can relate to, regardless of what your personal conscience favors. |
Kara Rivenbark
Grade: 11 Course: Art III AP Title: Travels from Around the World Medium: Mixed Media Instructor: Greg English Artist Statement When I was 10, my parents, brother, and I took a one-year trip around the world. We experienced different cultures, architecture, lifestyles, landscapes, and foods: all opening our minds up to the charming things the world beholds. And so, through a combination of imagery from our own photographs and text from personal diary entries, I am creating an illustrated travel journal displaying my family’s adventures around the world. I want my artwork to capture the feelings we were experiencing during our journey, and I want to empower others to follow their own traveling passions, no matter the risks it may entail. |
Kaila Spence
Grade: 11 Course: Art III AP Title: Trapped from Reality Medium: Mixed Media Instructor: Greg English Artist Statement Through the uses of oil paint, acrylic paint, and mixed media; I explored the topics of isolation and the perception of derealization brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic. In my composition, I painted a self-portrait where I am seen pressing against the glass of the frame. On the outside of the glass, I adhered goldfish. In these design decisions, I wanted to express the feeling of suffocation and the sensation of being trapped. |
Ali Stoddard
Grade: 11 Course: Art III AP Title: Perfectionism Medium: Digital Instructor: Greg English Artist Statement I’ve considered myself an artist my entire life. From my interests in drawing and painting, to my love for writing and film, I’m always expressing my personal ideas through my work. This year, I’m investigating symbolism in self-portraiture through digital art. This piece was about visually depicting perfectionism. I used a lot of symbolism in creating this artwork in an attempt to show how perfectionism feels. The religious symbolism depicts the feeling of being held to high, almost “godly”, standards. The many eyes represent the classic feeling of all eyes being on them and the pressure to overachieve. Using symbolism throughout the piece allowed me to fully realize the concept and create an artwork that I am passionate about. |
Allison Abruscato
Grade: 12 Course: Photo Studio AP Title: Traditional Kitchen Medium: Digital Photography Instructor: Rachel Stein Artist Statement In Traditional Kitchen, I utilized layering to convey a multi-dimensional view of the "traditional" stay-at-home woman, who is clearly not satisfied with the stereotype given to her by society. By having multiple versions of myself and making the middle one in black-and-white, I am able to show how hurtful and limiting traditional stereotypes can be. Although the ideas for women have developed overtime, we are often still expected to be the “caretaker” or “supervisor” of the household. I made this clear in my image through the use of simple and clean colors along with the repetition of washing the dishes. Women are plagued with many stereotypes that they must overcome in order to reach their full potential. I want to raise awareness of societal and mental health struggles among women by representing all of those who feel hidden in their community and put down because of their gender. |
Hannah Dinning
Grade: 12 Course: Photo Studio Title: Censored Medium: masking tape, clear tape, acrylic ink on inkjet print Instructor: Rachel Stein Artist Statement Censored chronicles the implied pressure from society to conceal parts of our identity that are deemed “undesirable” while exposing our “desirable” traits. This piece touches on the internal struggle of knowing when to show both sides of our identities in different spaces. To effectively communicate my message, I asked myself how I could use different materials to show the different ways in which we expose and censor our identity. The progression of the piece shows a gradual covering of the face, but the face begins to become more exposed through the transparency of materials. While this piece could show a progress of revealing and concealing identity, it can also represent the choices we are faced with every day in presenting ourselves. In the process of creating this work I delved deeper into conceptually representing my ideas, while allowing myself to experiment with print manipulation techniques. |
Cara Kishter
Grade: 12 Course: AP Photo 3 Title: New Romantics Medium: Digital Photography Instructor: Rachel Stein Artist Statement I am investigating how one reflects on their past experiences and how these memories can become distorted. To create a surreal and bizarre effect, I have utilized juxtaposition by using brightly colored props and costumes in desolate locations. The props and costume choices starkly contrast the surrounding environment to suggest that the subjects are “out of place.” Before shooting the images, I created a mind map and sketches that helped me to further develop how I wanted to execute my final photos. By getting my ideas out on paper, I was able to determine the important aspects of this piece, and in practice, I added more details to add the bizarreness of the image. |
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Basil Vallone
Grade: 12 Course: Art IV AP Title: Reflection on Crush: Based on the Words of Richard Siken Medium: Mixed Media Instructor: Greg English Artist Statement When creating my art, I’ve always been drawn to bold, stylized works. As an actor, I find it greatly fulfilling to create expressive characterizations through stylizing the human form. You can put a person in almost any setting and find something interesting to portray because of how complex the human form is, so I find portraiture to be a fantastic tool to portray my ideas and stories. I plan on working in the field of the performing arts within the realms of acting and playwriting. I find both types of work are influenced by and feed into my artwork, fueling my flair for the dramatic and my intention to communicate human emotions. Picturing how I want a scene to unfold can be like imagining a snapshot of it; looking at different parts of the composition while knowing how I would act out an emotional response in motion can help me to portray it in a drawing. By using art as this mode for storytelling, I am able to connect my two passions of theatre and visual art. The intersection between these two spheres of art was what first attracted me to begin illustrating poetry, and no poetry have I connected more to than the poems from Richard Siken’s book Crush. The book lays out an abstract story that must be deconstructed by the reader and put back together again. Through my comic illustrations of works from Crush, I pull apart each poem onto my sketchbook and see what is revealed within my final pieces. |
Olivia Wood
Grade: 12 Course: AP Art Studio Title: Quiet Medium: Watercolor and chalk pastel Instructor: Greg English Artist Statement Over the years, I've learned a thing or two about myself and my personality. I find these traits to be incredibly helpful in fueling my creative side. Two of my strongest traits, traits in which I rest a large part of my identity, are that I am both extremely observant and highly empathetic. It is this sensitivity to the larger world around me that I find fuels my art, whether it be portraiture or the spaces by which I am surrounded. Anywhere I find myself, I am constantly watching and listening. Through this continual absorption of my environment, I learn a surprising amount about people and their lives, and I am able to stop for long enough to take a real look at the world. Especially at night, I find it easy to slip into a feeling of nostalgia, just looking at street lights and the reflections they make on pavement and store windows. I find myself thinking about how small everyone is and how fleeting time is. Through art, I try my best to learn how to capture these feelings and convey them to other people. I want to be able to take the mundane, the places and people we pass every day, and turn them into something beautiful. Even something as seemingly dull and gloomy as the concrete of a parking garage holds beauty if one takes the time to stop and look for it. |
Maggie Yin
Grade: 12 Course: Art III AP Title: Dream Homage Medium: Oil Paint Instructor: Greg English Artist Statement This painting is an homage to my brother, our relationship, my grief, and a part of my AP investigation. In this mural-like painting inspired by my dreams, I wanted to tell the story of my experience, starting from those moments together as children and ending with my journey exploring grief. With elements from each of my previous pieces, the viewer is reminded of the themes and messages of the other works: my current memory and image of Albert, his lasting presence in my life, and the effects on my family. Although this piece includes very personal elements, like the portraits, I also wanted people to be able to relate it to their own lives, interpreting the symbols through their own stories of relationships, family, and loss. With a warm color palette and swirling bands of lights, the piece is meant to feel much like my others: otherworldly, warm, and melancholy all at once. |