Reservoir High School
Dakota Onyenorah
Grade: 11 Course: Photo II AP Title: Childhood Memories: Trauma Medium: Digital Print Instructor: Lillian Chun Artist Statement When preparing and researching for a photography series, you’ll find yourself sorting through countless amounts of stories, articles, techniques, images, and photographers. Yet, the toughest part of this research is undoubtedly looking into yourself deeper than you ever have before. You need to break past your surface level thoughts about your subject or theme, and decipher your own emotions to reveal a part of yourself you’ve never met. This self-reflection for my Childhood Memories series was especially difficult because it was such a personal subject for me to unravel not only in front of my class, but in front of myself as well. I never really tackled my feelings towards my experiences as a child head on since it’s painful to think about how someone I trusted and admired assaulted me when I was just a little girl. Two years ago, I finally had the courage to lift the decade long weight off of my chest and tell my parents what happened. They did everything in their power to get justice for me, but the case fell through, and justice was not served in the end. In spite of that, I wanted to capture my feelings in my photographs mainly through color, props, and compositions. The usage of stuffed animals was an important aspect to include to mimic childlike innocence and purity; and the moody coloring signified my sorrow and distress. However, with the near conclusion of this series, I can gladly say that I’m proud of myself for deciding to share my story through photos and especially for taking such a risk to be vulnerable. And, I would encourage others to create bodies of work with their emotions--it’s worth it |
Faith Pope
Grade: 11 Course: Photo II AP Title: Through Your Eyes Medium: Digital Print Instructor: Lillian Chun Artist Statement There is something about the eyes of a person that tells you a story without even knowing them. When I look into my grandfather’s eyes, I see love, dedication, and strength. This man can light up a room with one smile and will make anyone who is down cry of laughter. But why isn’t he laughing here? Maybe because of the long hours he has to work long hours, spend thousands of dollars at lawyers, and take care of his family all at the same time, but he still pushes throughout. He is an example of someone who will put up and fight and never give up. Every time I glance at this photo, I like to think of it as my grandfather looking at himself 50 years ago and seeing how far he has become. From being a high school dropout in efforts to try and support his 6 siblings in poverty, to starting a business from nothing in his girlfriend’s mother’s garage, to moving out of that cycle and becoming a successful business owner. You never know where your path will lead you, but if you give up you will never find out where your path was going to take you. |
Ava Robitaille
Grade: 11 Course: Art IV AP Title: Green Serenity Medium: Oil Instructor: Angelina Prestel Artist Statement Being surrounded by nature has always brought me immense feelings of peace and awe. The past couple years in advanced art, I have been working on capturing the beauty of the artwork that is creation, but I branched out my sustained investigation with Green Serenity. In the past, I always pictured “creation” as landscapes and nature, and never explored a big part of creation which is humanity. In Green Serenity, I started thinking about the special bond between humans and nature. Just like any artist’s body of artwork goes together, humans and nature are connected by the artist. This painting was based off of a photo I took of my little sister over the summer, and when I revisited it a couple months later, I was so inspired by all of the colors and textures. Between all the calm shades of green, my sister’s curls, the pleats on her dress, and the intricacy of the plants, I felt that it perfectly represented the idea that the world and people around us are all a part of the masterpiece that is creation. Art and nature have always been outlets for me to slow down and appreciate the present moment. As I move into my last year of high school art, I am looking forward to learning more about myself and the world around me through the process of art-making. |
Gianna Schlossnagle
Grade: 10 Course: Art III AP Title: Self Portrait Medium: Mixed Media Instructor: Angelina Prestel Artist Statement Often when asked to draw ourselves we look deep within. I too look deep, and try to come up with abstract ways to portray who I am as a person, but sometimes I get distracted and forget that I can go back. I believe it’s okay to be a little shallow, too like how you look and leave it at that. That isn’t to say that I don’t love including symbolism, but this piece reminded me that I don’t always need it. I really enjoyed making this piece, just tackling each portrait at a time and seeing it turn into one cohesive piece was amazing. After I made this piece, I went back and made more portraits exploring different ways to draw myself, to relay who I was in different ways. Some were more symbolic, others more straight forward. Having to look thoroughly at myself in order to create art has given me more confidence in myself in day-to-day life. |
Elena Walter
Grade: 11 Course: Art III AP Title: Mouth of Knowledge Medium: Acrylic Instructor: Angelina Prestel Artist Statement Surrealism has always been an inspiration to me. The ability to express abstract ideas through concrete symbols has made expressing and processing my feelings significantly easier. I’ve also always loved how artists like Salvador Dali use broad landscapes to achieve surrealism and present their abstract ideas. In this painting, I created a distinct contrast between the red sky and green landscape in order to exemplify my intense emotions. I know I can be intimidating, especially at first glance, so the red creates a warning, loud mood that expresses my first impressions. However, the calm green represents my true, kinder nature, filled with knowledge and guarded by teeth. The buried boat shows the quest for learning, and how it feels stuck. With college approaching, my motivation for work is faltering, and that was a difficult truth to acknowledge. Properly seeing myself was a challenge, especially when I was forced to confront some of my more negative traits. However, showing these harsh truths helped to process it, and process how my emotions function. It was a very rewarding experience, and is reassuring to see how I’ve grown in the past few years. |
Mylia Arnold-White
Grade: 12 Course: Art 3 AP Title: The Viewers Medium: Oil Pastel Instructor: Angelina Prestel Artist Statement For work of art, I decided to create a picture within a picture. Here I have three painters which are myself, painting a bigger version of me. Almost as if they are making a mural of something they find special to them. The meaning of behind my work is self-image, beauty, and how I view myself. The drawing shows not just color but what these people see as beauty, inspiring, peaceful and even though everything is dull to them they still find a way to express and show color. |
Nina Borodin
Grade: 12 Course: Art IV AP Title: Introspection Medium: Oil and Acrylic on canvas Instructor: Angelina Prestel Artist Statement I’ve always loved getting hand me downs. When wearing my mom’s hand-sewn skirts and dresses, I can almost sense the memories woven into their fabric and I’m able to feel the creases that only come from years of wear. Largely inspired by artists who work with the themes of time and family, my artwork explores the connection I have to my family members through their clothes. Inspired by the beauty of textiles, I painted "Introspection." In this piece, I’m wearing a skirt that my mom's aunt sewed for her. I incorporated the pattern of the skirt into the background to fully immerse the viewer in the textile and limit the amount of negative space; I also opted for darker, grayscale tones to create a contrast with the bright and saturated colors of the skirt. Lastly, I drew in fairy lights to add complexity through the lighting and to represent my growing confidence in wearing more imaginative clothing. |
Helen Fleming
Grade: 12 Course: Photo II AP Title: Here I Am Inside Medium: Digital Print Instructor: Lillian Chun Artist Statement Everyone has a piece of them that they hide from others, at least initially. For me, that is my bright and welcoming personality. Rather than hiding myself behind the lights, I placed them to the side of me which brightens my face overall and becoming more open, similar to how I open up to people that I am close with. I decided to cover my mouth and darken one side of my face to show how I still consider myself to be more reserved on the inside as well. I edited in cooler tones to show the more logical side of myself and made the light bulbs and my eye brighter to show a part of my personality. The stark line between the two sides of my face was meant to display how many people can be “two-faced” in a way where they don’t always show all of themselves. In my experience, all it takes to get to know someone truly is to welcome them and provide the judgment-free space that they need to open up. The rest they will do on their own. |
Mica Jardine
Grade: 12 Course: Art IV AP Title: Present Medium: Mixed Media Instructor: Angelina Prestel Artist Statement As individuals, we are all different primarily through our physical appearances. Our appearances can be influenced by factors such as our religion, daily experiences, culture, and individual behaviors. The sense of self-expression through appearances helps us as individuals in society to truly portray ourselves, expand upon our character and personality, which is a vital element of growth. This inspires us to face a new light and realization of life, not just about our interest but of the world around us. My journey through art explores and evaluates the concept of identity and how simple things such as hair truly express who we are as individuals. My journey has also evolved around representing and telling a story and giving insight into different lifestyles and cultural expressive elements. With my art, I find myself more capable of not only reflecting on the work that I have made but also on myself. With various art influences, I wanted to focus on the complex significance of hairstyles, especially for black females and to simply encourage and promote black culture and its awe-inspiring beauty. |
Aminah Malik
Grade: 12 Course: Photo 3 AP Title: The Road Less Traveled By Medium: Digital Print Instructor: William Borja Artist Statement This photo is inspired by Robert Frost’s poem, “The Road Not Taken.” As someone who prefers portraiture and candid photography, this image was a bit out of my comfort zone. It was surprisingly difficult to set up and execute, but it has become one of my favorite images. As someone who loves photography and reading equally, I especially enjoyed bringing the two together. I took this photo for a class assignment entitled “home.” I hoped to portray the way books enable readers to create hundreds of different homes in hundreds of different worlds. Books have played a large role in my life, and a good one can certainly make me feel at home. These days, they may be becoming the road less traveled by; but that’s okay, because I still take that road– and it has made all the difference for me. |
BreAnne Mangum
Grade: 12 Course: Art IV AP Title: Lemon Slices Medium: Digital Instructor: Angelina Prestel Artist Statement One of the most powerful parts of art to me is being able to express complex concepts with simple symbols and colors and that's exactly what I created this work hoping to achieve. Every single portion of this piece has a connection to me and my growth as a person. Most obviously, is the two self-portraits. Each one represents two time periods of my life, a younger and older version of me, that have a portion of them 'sliced' off revealing the inside of a lemon. In doing this, I hoped to show that even despite my changes I'm not a new person, I'm just growing. Some of the other details, however, like the donuts in the background and the pink tints, reveal some of the more personal ways I've actually changed. |
St. Clarence McDowell
Grade: 12 Course: Art IV AP Title: Awakening Medium: Digital Instructor: Angelina Prestel Artist Statement My piece “Awakening”is inspired by the internal awakening of self-power. My sustained investigation question is about the perception beyond sight meaning becoming enlightened to things beyond knowledge. This work is about displaying the awakening of the third eye. Awakening to me is realizing the true meaning of life and the beauty of it, understanding that there is reasoning to existence and that we hold our own power. That is an experience I’m on a journey to understanding myself, knowing my power and where I can find it. While making this work digitally, I chose to go with bright colors because color creates beauty and beauty causes attraction, I want my audience to experience that beauty with me. |
Delaney Miller
Grade: 12th Course: Photo 3 AP Title: Satisfied Medium: Digital Print Instructor: William Borja Artist Statement One can only hope to live into their 90s. Too many people have been taken too early from our world whether it be by illness, accidents, war, or the evil of others. It is by great luck that some have the fortune to experience all that is ugly and beautiful in our world. I live my life with a sense of optimism- trying to find the roses among the thorns. But just as I reach out to grab the lone rose in a tangle of branches, a thorn of hate slices into my hand, drawing blood and tears for those who have fallen victim to the evil and tragedy of this world. And just when it seems like there is no reason to go on, I think of my grandmother who has lived 96 years building a family and doing good for others. I wanted to explore what it means to live a satisfactory life. through my photography. When I get older, will I look back and be proud of the person I was? Will I be content with the way I treated others? Did I contribute to the beauty of this world? Or did I sit back and watch it burn? It is not enough to only search out the good. We must be the good. Our time here is limited, so why not start now. |
Monica Prince
Grade: 12 Course: Art IV AP Title: Light Shining through Medium: Graphite Instructor: Angelina Prestel Artist Statement I have always been drawn to exploring emotions in my work. This past year, I became interested in architecture and have been investigating the relationship between domestic spaces and emotions. I was influenced by the fabric sculptural work of Do Ho Soh who explores how the body interacts with, relates to, and inhabits domestic spaces. Following the same concepts, I demonstrated this concept abstractly in my previous pieces, focusing on negative and positive spatial interactions. However, for this drawing I created an observational drawing depicting the line of townhouses seen through my bedroom window. I was intrigued by the sunlight cast through my room and the complexity of the homes that I viewed everyday, leading me to create this composition. I chose to evoke a sense of isolation through the contrast of the single aloe plant to the unity of the row of townhouses depicted outside. I wanted to reflect feelings of isolation and loneliness that many of us, including myself, have felt this past year. I hope to continue investigating the intersection between spaces and emotions as I study architecture in college. |
Jason Quijada
Grade: 12th Course: Photo 2 AP Title: Wiggies Medium: Digital Instructor: Lillian Chun Artist Statement When people are in their element, their true feelings and “fun side” come out. The overarching theme here is “people in their element” when they're not overcome by responsibilities such as work and school. It surrounds people, how people express themselves through emotions, expressions, clothes, hobbies, etc. Capturing my friends and strangers doing things they’re comfortable doing, by using mostly film but using digital and a complex editing style as well. When humans are given the opportunity to express, they do it differently every time. Not one person's element is the same, we all think differently. |
Ridah Raja
Grade: 12th Course: Photo 2 AP Title: Motherland Medium: Digital Instructor: Lillian Chun Artist Statement Being a second-generation immigrant and the youngest of five siblings, growing up I was always hearing stories about my parents and sibling’s time back home in Pakistan. I could listen to my family talk for hours about their adventures. Listening to my siblings tell me about their time was especially fun because of their crazy stories about jumping from building ruins to tops of houses and eating street food with live music playing in the background. It all seemed like a dream to me and I had always wondered what it would be like to live with my family during that time. I was lucky enough to live in a household that held on to Pakistani values and traditions where I spoke the native language and remained proud of my heritage. There were times that it was a challenge being a Pakistani American and having four siblings that were born and raised in a completely different world than me, however, I quickly learned about the value that this aspect of my identity possessed. The value of this shoot was not only being able to capture old photographs and belongings of my family, it was the entire process of shuffling through boxes and shelves for these items and hearing about how each one was tied to a special memory. The experiences that my family had influenced the way I was raised and shaped me into the person I am today which is why I chose to capture these intimate and personal moments in this series as a way to connect with my roots and bring my family’s stories to life. |
Caitlin Toler
Grade: 12 Course: Photo 3 AP Title: Christmas Morning Medium: Digital Print Instructor: William Borja Artist Statement There is nothing more dysfunctional than families. Each and every family differs with their values, norms, and functionality. Some may be close knit while others are the true definition of agony and discomfort. It is unfair to believe that the definition of family is only a 'group of one or more parents and their children living together as a unit,' because family expands farther than just blood. Family is home. As many say, "family is where the heart is." We can't choose who we are biologically related to; that is out of our hands. However, we do have the power to choose our family. To choose the people we love; the people we care about; the people that care about us. As stated before, family is dysfunctional. Family comes with its ups and downs, bumps and ridges. But we get to CHOOSE who our family is, and my parents always told me to choose wisely. My journey through photography explores and evaluates the meaning of family to different people. My journey has evolved drastically; I started off by only photographing my family, and the emotional support I had received from them. Then, I branched off in search of the meaning of family for others. With my art, I find myself not only reflecting on my own journey but also experiencing the journey of the people I'm photographing. In my piece, I draw inspiration from the connotation of the word "Christmas." When the majority of people think of "Christmas," they feel a very unique and one-of-a-kind feeling. With this picture of my Abuela, I exhibit the feeling many little kids have on Christmas morning while opening presents. The excitement and raw joy of ripping open the wrapping paper is a feeling that is shared between one family member to the next. With my works, I hope to shed more light on the meaning of family for different people, and explain the importance of choosing the right people to be a part of your family. |
Ingrette Wang
Grade: 12 Course: Photo II AP Title: Kaizen Medium: Digital Print Instructor: Lillian Chun Artist Statement What makes you, you? It’s a question many people ask themselves over the course of their lives. While some things do indeed stay the same, like our ethnicity and race, our self-images, beliefs, and personalities develop with us as we grow in age and as people. By studying Albert Bandura’s research on the Social Learning Theory, I was able to find deeper meaning within my work. As Bandura stresses the importance of imitation and the influence we receive from our environments, I wanted to portray the idea of learning and incorporating bits of others and surroundings into my personality, documenting identification. On each side, I show different aspects of my external identity, but they each overlap to show my roots and what I keep constant. The sticky notes represent racial, cultural, and various other standards others may have been tacked onto me, that I have learned to try to conform to, as well as what I have picked up from my family, friends, and role models. My qipao and traditional Chinese wear symbolize the beauty and elegance of my people that I have learned from my parents, grandparents, and ancestors. Even with all of this added onto me, while I hide behind my culture and what I learned from my environment and peers, my original self still peeks through, hoping to observe and absorb more from the ever-changing world. |