Advanced Studio

My name is Alex Les and am a junior this year. I’ve spent my whole life in Maine and live with my parents and younger brother. In school, I most enjoy my math and science classes, and I am part of the Freeport High School Model U.N. club. I run cross country in the fall and track during the spring. Outside of school, I like to go to the gym and to go outside to skateboard, snowboard, and mountain bike. I also enjoy spending time with my brother, my friends, and my girlfriend.

As an artist I like working with color and focusing on fine details. This year my interests have manifested themselves in a concentration on the human anatomy. This was the first year that I used paint sticks as medium, which has become one of my favorites. I enjoy working with my hands directly on the canvas and the freedom of color inherent to paint. The lack of ability to create precise detail has challenged me, but ultimately forced me to strengthen other aspects of my artistic ability and has let me create more expression and personal voice. My favorite piece that I have created is called Breathe, which depicts the the neck muscles of a person in blue, against a purple background. I like this piece because I feel that I was successful in creating my desired expression through the lense of my concentration. Abstract expression is most difficult for me and I find it difficult to harmonize freely flowing colors and patterns, but I strive to improve in this aspect and continue to attempt such harmony in my work. Art is important to me because it provides an unlimited means of visual expression. I find it is one of the few outlets where my creativity can be completely raw; an opportunity that I have cherished throughout my artistic career. I have enjoyed this year particularly because it is the first in which I have been able to do independent projects. While there are certainly difficulties in being able to create anything at all, I have found my concentration to be a helpful guide.

Time Capsules

Leaf Portfolio

Concentration

Environmental Advocacy

This year I took Advanced Studio Art and submitted an AP portfolio. Overall, my experience was learning-oriented but independent. This year I had the opportunity to create many independent pieces, without prompts or restrictions on materials. I learned new processes and techniques such as sgraffito and silk screening. I also worked with new materials such as pen and oil paint sticks. Although this class was not as focused on learning new techniques as other art classes I have taken, the depth of my learning just as great if not greater. Independent work on projects and my concentration allowed me to delve deeper into the concepts and techniques that interest me, while exploring my artistic abilities and passions.

Independent projects this year gave me the opportunity to learn and improve in new ways. This year I had much more stylistic development than any other year because I had the chance to design my own projects and work with media of choice. My artistic growth is particularly apparent in my independent projects and concentration, with obvious influence from assignments earlier in the year. I started with a self portrait that is very clear and organized, despite inspiration from the expressionistic self portrait which lacked these qualities. I then went on to skeletal and other anatomical drawing in pen and pencil, which are also very detail oriented. Development and improvement can be seen in these first few pieces in my use of the stippling technique and the application of my subjects to different settings and concepts. The exception to these detailed works is the first piece in my concentration. This imitation of the Thinker was meant to feel more free-flow and stylistic, but I didn't like the end result and was discouraged from this approach. However, later in my concentration I used oil paint sticks and techniques that I had learned in creating my creative color observational animal. I found this medium interesting because it forced me to use bigger gestures and helped my add expression. Ultimately, the opportunity to experiment led to both successes and difficulties that contributed to my learning and growth as an artist this year.

This year, my favorite process that I worked on was observational drawing. Though this was one of the most time consuming processes of the year, I also found it the most gratifying. The skeletal torso, the skull with the flower, and the bear and ox were all observational drawings and are among the pieces that I am most proud of. However, the piece that I am most proud of from this year is the forth piece in my concentration. I am most proud of the piece because it demonstrates my interest in the human anatomy, and my attention to detail in the muscles, but it also shows a strong sense of emotion, which I think was a great part of my development this year. The process that I struggled most with this year was learning to silk screen. A description of the process can be found under the Environmental Advocacy page. The process provided a learning curve and demanded a lot of trial and error, but, despite my struggles in creating the screens, I am happy with the final results of the project.

This year I chose the focus my concentration on the human anatomy. Through this concentration I explored the themes and relationships between the human body and nature. I explored the shapes and structures of different human body systems and the ways in which they relate to both the natural and artificial worlds. With these guiding ideas, I worked with a range of materials to create pieces that represent my thoughts and emotions on the subject. Though my different pieces have specific meanings to me and relate to my life in different ways, my concentration focused on anatomy because of my genuine interest in the subject. I have found the human body and especially bones interesting from a young age and had the chance to pursue this interest and many of its offshoots through studio art in this class. Art relates to my life in that it provides me with a unique way to express the thoughts and feelings that are my own creations and I appreciate the opportunities that art gives me.