In my work I have explored multiple different mediums including acrylic paint, various types of clay, photography, watercolor, and more. With these mediums I have experimented with them by combining them to make some unique pieces I really love. The method I enjoy most is photography, although I do really enjoy sculpting as well. Most of my inspiration comes from the environment around me, whether it be natural or manmade, anything and everything can be a work of art whether it’s captured with a lens or etched onto paper. Art is something I’m naturally good at, it’s something I can do to relax where there’s no pressure to be the best, it’s just shapes and colors and creativity. It’s checking the clock and realizing hours have gone by in minutes, or scrubbing paint from my hands, or checking for the millionth time to see if it’s dry yet so I can keep working. To me, art is a form of expression, beauty and comfort.

Art has always been my secondary way of expressing how I feel. Whether it's something in my showcase or a bunch of scribbles, art has helped me in ways I can’t always put into words. In my final year of highschool I wanted a challenge. So, I signed up for Ceramics 1 and let me tell you it's not easy. Now sure, it may be difficult but it's still pretty fun. My favorite part of this course was to constantly experiment with layering glazes. Basically, if you place one kind of glaze on top of another, an interesting reaction occurs. That's the story for any of my pieces in ceramics present or not. 

As far as drawing goes, my go to is digital. This is mainly because of it being convenient, but I also like having many different options for tools to use and having a strong control over what I can do. If I couldn’t use my phone to draw however, my second choice would be watercolor. I love the texture and appearance it has on the paper I use. I also like the vibe it gives off. For the painting, I wanted to implement more texture so I ended up using colored pencils to give it more of a sketchy feeling. All my works present have been either experimented with different glazes or materials, and/or been driven from some sort of inspiration from my personal stories I’ve written.

I am inspired by both visual and musical art. I enjoy looking and listening to the art that other people have created, and it provides me with motivation to continue to pursue my own interests. I have explored multiple different concepts in my work, such as the manipulation of light, the beauty of architecture and the somber feeling of standing in a graveyard. My personal favorite art medium is photography. I enjoy working with things that already exist, and using and interpreting them in my own way, as opposed to completely creating something new.

What inspires you? Largely what sparks my creativity is other people and what they explore. I love seeing what others do with their ideas, and the way they express their thoughts and passions. It encourages me to do the same with my own art.

What concepts have you explored in your work? Nothing too exciting, and I largely do portraiture for a variety of reasons; but I try to prioritize atmosphere, and getting a certain energy in the piece. I like exploring irony in my work as well, and that how things look or feel aren't necessarily how they are.

What are your favorite mediums to work with? Why? The mediums I’m most comfortable with are digital and acrylic, as they’re what I’m most experienced with. I like to branch outside of that every now and then, and wood carving is very fun; even if I'm horrible at it.

I like to make works inspired by nature, real life objects or whatever I’m drawn to. To be honest, I just make the first thing I think of and go with my gut. I love hand building and carving my pieces. I enjoy it the most because I have more creative freedom when it comes to sculpting and creating a design. I have made a variety of functional pieces in the past but have leaned into more sculptural, still life projects this year. Art is a way for me to use my brain when I'm bored or just need to be occupied. Four years of ceramics and drawing on my own time have taught me valuable lessons such as time management, and trusting my own  ideas and capabilities. 

What inspires me is to be able to create amazing pieces that everyone will look at and think, “That's awesome!” I want people to be able to look at my work and be impressed. I've explored many concepts while working, all of my pieces have some sort of meaning attached to them as well, I also like to try to be different and out there. Every one of my pieces are different in some way but one of my favorite methods is slab rolling, one of the biggest techniques I've used across most of my pieces. It's very efficient and one of the easier ways for me to make the cool pieces you see here today. 

Throughout my four years of high school, I have used ceramics as a distraction. Whether it was to fill the time or forget about my test next period. Classes would fly by as I would be so into the piece I was making. Ceramics allowed me to express myself in a way I didn’t know I could. I have always said ‘I’m not good at drawing’ implying art in general, little did I know the many different types of art. Ceramics is one of many art forms that I found a passion in. I especially liked the skill of throwing the best. Throwing allows me to create pieces that have little to no imperfections. Obviously many pieces I made weren’t perfect and I learned to embrace the imperfections. 

My go-to piece to make is a functional bowl or mug to add to my collection. I have dabbled with sculptural pieces but when I make something it gives me the piece of mind that it has some functional use and won't sit on a shelf collecting dust. Although my all time favorite part of ceramics is when a piece is finished, I love feeling and seeing different glazes which transform the piece. I believe every piece has a perfect glaze that enhances the structure even more and finding that glaze is just so exciting. I also enjoy gifting custom pieces to friends and families and making them something irreplaceable where when they look at it they can see the effort and thought that was put into the piece. To end off this artist statement I would like to give a big thank you to Mrs. Prisco for all the extra things she does to make ceramics enjoyable that go unnoticed.

What inspires me the most is looking at other peoples’ work and making it into my own.  I have explored different glazing methods like blub glazings and layering glazes. My favorite clay body is B-mix with grog. It gives the raw spots on your piece a unique look. 

I use art as a cure for my boredom. Rather than stay on my phone all day, I grab a crochet hook or an embroidery hoop and I create decorations for my room and clothes. I started by teaching myself how to make scarves and then I made hats, and eventually clothing. Then I learned how to make tapestries by switching colors. 

When I learned ceramics I started to experiment with different media and textures. I started with a piece that was made to break, so I strategically made weak spots in it so that it would shatter in the right places. Then, I mixed clay with plastic and string for my environmental issues project. Most recently I have made a mask out of clay using all of the skills that I have learned throughout my years in ceramics such as draping clay over a mold, underglaze designs, and sculpting.

There are a variety of things that inspire me to create, whether it’s my own experiences and relationships or just listening to music. I also find myself just drawing or taking pictures just because, with no plan or idea in mind. I’ve explored many different concepts in both photography and drawing, whether it’s trying different styles (realism and a more psychedelic feel), or subjects (portraits and inanimate objects). Some of my favorite mediums to work with are photography and acrylic painting. I enjoy photography because of how different it is from the rest of the mediums. I think it is fun to see what you can do with just one idea and how different each picture can be. I enjoy acrylics because of how tangible paintings are and the texture that comes with acrylic paints.

What inspires me is life, just the fact that I’m alive. I've done art since I was little and I can't picture myself without it. I know that I’m always going to be doing art for the rest of my life, it's something that I like doing, how I express myself, and something I can always improve. 

I explore a little bit of everything. Every time that I learn about a new concept I think about how I can turn it into me, something that I would like .

Some of my favorite mediums are acrylics, pastels, clay, drawing and mixed media. I like acrylics and pastels for the same reason; I love how I can make the colors vibrant, the many ways I can apply  it, the effect and texture left behind. I love clay and love dirt. I have always liked plants since I was little as I have many many memories playing in the dirt, and having my hands in clay brings me to the same feeling. The fact that I can transform plastic clay into almost everything makes me love it even more; makes me wonder how far I can go, how many things I can do. For drawing, I don't have a lot to say. I draw since I am me. I love how simple and powerful a pencil can be, images and the way I can apply them, and mixed media because it is the combination of all these textures working together in a crazy way.