Baylee Webber
Q: What is your concentration and why did you choose it?
A: My concentration for AP Studio is “my connection with nature as I grow up.” I had originally wanted to concentrate on the freedom of nature, however I wanted to do something more personal. Nature is such a large part of who I am and to explore that concept in paintings is a unique experience that not very many people endure. As a kid I was always playing outside and I fully believe that that is where my creativity stems from.
Q: How does your art reflect who you are or what you care about?
A: I always center my art around either a specific thing that has happened to me or something i just generally love. Sometimes my projects may not make sense in how they could possibly connect to my life but that’s what I love about it. I get to include small details that nobody else will understand and it’s like a window into my mind and how I see the world.
Q: Why did you decide to take AP studio art, and how has it shaped your creative process so far?
A: Ever since Drawing and Painting 1 with Mrs. Satterfield my freshman year I fell in love with learning new materials and creating realistic projects, which I was never able to do before. Then when I found out that there was an AP level art class I was excited for my senior year. Finally being able to put this class on my schedule was almost full fueling with how much I anticipated it. Compared to the only 3 projects per semester in Drawing and Painting, having to come up with a completely original idea and do about 8 projects per semester has really pushed me. It has pushed me to try and think outside the box on the thumbnail sketches and always seeing what I like more when I add or take away certain things. We need to create three thumbnail sketches to plan for each new project and I think it’s so interesting how I almost never go with my original idea. Looking at the same project idea but in different ways has really changed how I think about coming up with projects. You should explore an idea and have fun with the planning.
Q: What is one thing you hope to accomplish before the school year ends?
A: Before the school year ends I hope to create at least one photo realistic project. It is hard to do a style like that within only 10 days but I think with the proper planning and a good reference photo I can be confident enough to get something like that done before the end of the year.
Q: Any additional thoughts or comments…
One of my favorite things about the class is being around so many other students that have the same passion and love as you. Even when we are all burned out on the rapid pace of the class, we inspire each other to continue to be ambitious in our projects and to get out of our comfort zones with new mediums and styles.
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Alex Sweitzer
Q: What is your concentration and why did you choose it?
A: My concentration that is seen throughout my pieces is “how music has progressively evolved in my life and how it has molded me as a person.” I chose this as my concentration because music has always been one of the most important things in my life. I wanted to focus on its goodness and how much music as a whole has made me who I am today. It sounds cheesy, but I genuinely don’t know where I’d be without music and its beautiful melodies.
Q: What is the process for your pieces?
A: For my series of pieces, I decided to approach them as a timeline of events. Because my concentration is more personally based on my experience with different forms of music, I am going in order of all the (what I deem) crucial instances of my musical career. For example, my first project resembled me when I was younger and first discovered how cool music is! My next one was of younger me with a dancing ballerina I had as a kid. And so on and so on. Pieces resembling my times in theater, and playing different instruments are also included. I wanted the order of my projects to seem consistent and intentional, hence the chronological order my projects have been going in. With choosing the medium I want to use, that begins in the planning: our thumbnails. For every piece, each one of us has to make a thumbnail with three different compositions of what we want our project to look like. The composition liked best then gets colored, indicating to Mrs. Satterfield that that is the one we would like to go ahead with. After also determining what medium(s) to use, we would transfer a sketch of what we want our project to look like on whatever canvas we would need to use. After all of that, I go to town. The process begins all over again! But each time a new project is in the works, I’m happy.
Q: Why did you decide to take AP studio art, and how has it shaped your creative process so far?
A: To be frank, I originally wasn’t even planning on taking this class. I saw all of the work past AP Studio Art kids did, and it looked like it would be too much for me. Plus, I wasn’t deeming art as anything serious to me, it was merely a hobby (and still mostly is to me) I did when I was super bored. My friends had been discussing it, and it made me curious about me taking the class. I told my friends about this sudden curiosity, and they agreed, saying I should in fact take the class. The icing on the cake: Mrs. Satterfield emailed a group of kids who had taken her art classes, telling us we should consider signing up for AP Studio next year. This convinced me. I felt like the stars aligned and were telling me to take it. So I did, and here I am! I think because of this series of events about me fully joining this class was kind of out of the blue for me, it has shaped my creative process in more ways than one. I work more a “go with the flow” kind of tactic, and I try to stay positive about anything and everything. If something goes wrong, I’ll learn to accept it and use it to my advantage. And because of that tactic, I have grown tremendously as an artist — and it has truly helped me found my fluid style.
Q: What is one thing you hope to accomplish before the school year ends?
A: Something I wish to accomplish before the school year ends is to become more confident and fulfilled when it comes to me creating art. I want to be able to look back at my work and be proud of myself. I have always been a creative person, but I never took art seriously. This class has given me an opportunity to express myself in ways I never thought possible. I hope to better myself as a person and as an artist before the school year comes to a close.
Q: Any additional thoughts or comments…
A: For anyone reading this and is interested in taking this course in the future: do it. If you are willing to spend your time on these projects, and if you have the deep love for art I and my fellow classmates have, it is worth your time. You will grow so much over the course of a year in this class. Though it may become stressful at times, it improves your skills as an artist and as someone who is willing to learn. Not only that, but the atmosphere this class has is one with love and positivity. Everyone around you grows to become your friend, and you all start to feel like family. That is what I find beautiful about this class, and my explanation as to why others should take it down the road!
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Talyn McClafferty
Q: What is your concentration and why did you choose it?
A: My concentration is “dealing with fear of the unknown.” Going into senior year there’s a lot of doubts about what will come after Highschool, and with most of my friends graduating the year before me I really had no idea what to expect for the next couple years of my life and that scared me. Instead of just focusing on exclusively the fear itself, I wanted instead to focus on ways to overcome that kind of feeling.
Q: How does your art reflect who you are or what you care about?
A: Because of the nature of my concentration I think every piece is both deeply personal and sometimes hard to understand how it fits together without explanation. I think my pieces throughout the year are a reflection of what I’ve been dealing with, and my outlook on life and the future.
Q: Why did you decide to take AP studio art, and how has it shaped your creative process so far?
A: I had heard of the class my freshman year through taking Drawing and Painting, but it took until one of my graduating friends in my senior year took it that convinced me it was what I wanted to do. I loved the idea of having a whole class dedicated to making my own personal art, and being in an environment that not only pushed me to explore creative boundaries, but also forced me to work on a more consistent schedule. I’ve struggled for years to find time to make art consistently, especially art for myself, so having a class that forces me to carve out that time has been really beneficial for me.
Q: What is one thing you hope to accomplish before the school year ends?
A: While I would obviously love to get a 5 on the AP portfolio, I’m more interested in just measuring my personal growth. This is my first time exploring things that are this personal to me through art since probably middle school, I want to be able to look back at the end of the year and see not only my technical skills improve, but also see my personal growth as I get through my last year of high school and have to face what’s going to come after.
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Nina Labby
Q: What is your concentration and why did you choose it?
A: My concentration is “Partnership conveyed throughout the species”. I chose this concentration because I absolutely adore when we have to work on projects related to love and friendship or even just relationships in general.
Q: How does your art reflect who you are or what you care about?
A: My art reflects who I am because I am a very love oriented person who values relationships. I care deeply about other people and value their friendships. I try to keep my paintings positive and uplifting when I can.
Q: Why did you decide to take AP studio art, and how has it shaped your creative process so far?
A: I decided to take AP studio art because I had completed all of the levels available of previous art classes and decided that I had to take the leap and the next class up. While this class is very time consuming, I love it. This class has shaped my creative process to think quickly and act quickly, or else I won’t meet the deadline.
Q: What is one thing you hope to accomplish before the school year ends?
A: I hope to complete this course first of all, and preferably in a timely manner. I really hope that it can grow my skills with art in general. Wether that is charcoal, oil paints, acrylic paints or even watercolor. In addition, i hope this course will for
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Keira Lepley
Q: What is your concentration and why did you choose it?
A: My concentration is negativity in the form of the human body. It’s what you see and how you can imagine what’s happening without being told. The reason I chose this concentration is because I like focusing on the emotional part of my art, when somebody makes art there’s meaning behind it and there’s usually a message. It’s good to show people the negative things people go through and when I do my art I want people to be able to visualize a story from each picture. Everyone has their own imagination so when people see my art I don’t want them to just think “oh it’s a picture of this” I want them to actually think deeply about the meaning.
Q: What is the process for your pieces?
A: I don’t have a specific order of my art pieces, it really is just the first idea I end up liking. I choose things that I feel inspired by so I feel like if I were to have each idea laid out in order it would take away from my creativity. I would choose a topic such as smoking, overdosing, dementia and so on. Then I try and think of how I can portray that creatively so that people can understand the meaning and see it from their point of view.
Q: Why did you decide to take AP studio art, and how has it shaped your creative process so far?
A: I’ve been drawing since I was very young. I was never a sporty outdoorsy kind of person, I always picked drawing over any outdoor activity. My family always supported me and my art and I feel like it lets me show my creativity. I have taken all 5 of Mrs. Satterfields other art classes and so it was a no brainer to take this one too. I loved her other classes, specifically my drawing and painting 2 class. The main reason I wanted to take it was because in this class I can do whatever I want, I can use my creativity freely and do any medium I want. I feel like this class is better than any other art classes I’ve taken.
Q: What is one thing you hope to accomplish before the school year ends?
A: I hope that by the end of the year I can determine if I want to take art classes as my major in college or if I want to do something else. I feel like this class will help me realize what I want to do in the future and even though art is something I love doing but I still don’t know if that’s what I want to pursue as my career.
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Jess Guthrie
Q: What is your concentration and why did you choose it?
A: My concentration is “human emotions”. As that can be an extremely vague topic, we as humans are all emotional beings and experience many of them during our day to day life. I chose to pick different emotions and portray them in ways that are meaningful to me. I am a huge advocate of mental health and all of my artworks represent a piece of that for me. Plus, art can be taken in any way and that’s so beautiful. I may create something that paints a situation to me, and another person may find a connection in their OWN lives to resonate with my artwork. I find that lovely.
Q: How does your art reflect who you are or what you care about?
A: I think my art just shows who I am as a person. I love humans and people in general, so a lot of my work includes people’s faces and characteristics. I find small things so pretty, I love the little things in life, and I think finding beauty in things that sometimes aren’t beautiful is special and it’s a blessing to have.
Q: Why did you decide to take AP studio art, and how has it shaped your creative process so far?
A: I took AP studio art, only because I wanted to do the projects and have freedom with it. Every art class I’ve ever taken is so controlled and I’ve never had control over exactly what I want to do. This class has helped me learn different materials and ways to do techniques. It’s shaped my mind, and helped me think outside of the box.
Q: What is one thing you hope to accomplish before the school year ends?
A: Honestly, I hope I learn more about myself and my art style. I haven’t gotten to do anything like this before and I’ve never been able to truly flourish in an artistic way, and I’m excited to keep learning and drawing. I hope by my last project, I’ll be able to look at my first and think, “Wow, I really improved on this.” I’m not perfect and my art isn’t either, and I’m not striving for perfection, I’m striving for growth. I want to be able to feel proud of my work as well. I feel like for the art community it’s hard to be super happy with your own work, considering there are so many other amazing artists around you. But, learning to be appreciative of my own style and art is something I really want to conquer.
Q: Any additional thoughts or comments…
A: I’m so grateful and honored to be able to be a part of this class. I’ve met many other amazing people who love art as much as I do. I think we all created a beautiful environment and we are all friends and I always feel like I fit in. I love that I get to see other people’s art styles, everyone is different in their own way and I find much beauty in that. I learn so much from everyone just by observing. It’s truly a blessing, and I hope to continue to grow as an artist and as a person in general!
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Alexis Galdo
Q: What is your concentration and why did you choose it?
A: For my AP Art concentration, I chose ‘the theme of music and lyrics’ because music has always been an integral part of my life, providing both comfort and understanding in ways I didn’t fully recognize at the time. Throughout my life, songs have been there during moments of joy, struggle, and reflection, often helping me process emotions when words alone couldn’t. I wanted to explore how a song can evoke such powerful feelings in a listener—whether through the lyrics or the music itself. By creating both playful and more serious pieces, I aimed to show how music transcends all emotions and events, acting as a constant companion, whether we’re celebrating, grieving, or simply existing. Through this series, I hope to capture the depth and universality of music’s impact, illustrating its ability to connect us to our own experiences and to each other.
Q: What is the process for your pieces?
A: For most of my pieces, the process is fairly spontaneous. I listen to music and let the emotions or mood of a song guide me, often waiting until the last minute when an art idea clicks. The composition and lyrics of the song seem to align with how I’m feeling at the time, and that’s when I start creating. Some projects don’t follow a clear process at all, which I think actually complements my theme—music itself doesn’t always have a set structure; it’s unpredictable, fluid, and personal. This approach allows me to reflect the spontaneity and emotional depth that music brings into our lives.
Q: Why did you decide to take AP studio art, and how has it shaped your creative process so far?
A: decided to take AP Studio Art because my older sister took the class, and growing up, seeing her work and play music was a huge part of my daily life. Her creativity inspired me, and I always admired how she could express herself through art. Over the years, I drifted away from art, especially during times when my mental state made it harder to engage with creative outlets. AP Art gave me the opportunity to reconnect with that part of myself, and it’s been a way to channel my emotions and thoughts back into something productive and meaningful. While the class has definitely helped me accomplish that, it’s also been challenging—it pushes me to think in new ways and take risks, which can be tough but rewarding. It’s been a process of rediscovery and growth, and I’m grateful for how it’s shaping my creative journey.
Q: What is one thing you hope to accomplish before the school year ends?
A: One thing I hope to accomplish before the school year ends is to push myself further in my artistic growth by experimenting with new techniques and styles. I want to challenge myself to step out of my comfort zone, whether that’s through exploring different mediums or taking on more complex compositions. My goal is to become more confident in my abilities and to develop a deeper understanding of how to express emotions and concepts through my art. I’m excited to keep learning and refining my skills, and I really hope to finish the year with a body of work that reflects how much I’ve grown as both an artist and a person.
