AP Studio Art students chose their own concentration and created a series of pieces. They submitted digital and physical portfolios to the College Board on May 6.
In this series, the artists discuss the year-long endeavor and share some of their pieces. After senior Jake Sands, the next is junior Camille Locke.
Q: What is your concentration?
A: Everyone has opinions and expectations of how the world should be, but these expectations are rarely agreed upon.
I think art should make the viewer question society’s standards, start movements and ideas. It expresses my feelings, but it doesn’t yell. I think that the best way to have people listen is to refrain from throwing your values at them at high velocity.
My view quietly whispers to the onlookers. Juxtaposition of colors and ideas in my work show the meaning of the pieces.
Q: Why did you choose it?
A: It was inspired by Banksy, the street artist. His stuff is all about social issues that he doesn’t agree with, and that’s a lot of where I got my ideas.
I feel like art should say something for everyone who’s viewing it, not necessarily those who just speak English, and so it shouldn’t have words on it. I wanted everyone to be able to understand it.
For example, the object is the recognizable Happy Meal box, but a syringe replaces the smile. The message could be that fast food is addictive like drugs, or it could be an insulin syringe for the diabetes indirectly caused by fast food consumption. The ideas of the syringe and the box contrast.
Q: What’s your style?
A: My style is realism, pretty much. I don’t stray away from realistic pieces.
I can’t do anything stylistically. I felt like I am less creative because of that. I’m only able to create realistic things, and only want to do realistic things because I’m not creative enough to come up with a better idea myself.
Q: What was the biggest challenge you faced?
A: Coming up with new ideas. My first idea was supposed to have direct juxtaposition in my pieces with the rosary piece and a few of the other beginning ones.
The rainbow-colored beads are symbolic of gay pride, but they are part of a rosary. Ideas of homosexuality and religion don’t mesh in society.
I changed ideas because it was hard to figure out more ways to do comparisons through art. I wanted to have a direct juxtaposition in my art, between the colors and the ideas in themselves.
Q: How long did it take you to complete your concentration?
A: I work pretty quickly in art, so it didn’t take me very long to be finished. I finished about a month ago or a month and a half ago. The art was done a long time ago; the rest of it was just figuring out commentary.
Q: What media did you use?
A: Acrylic and chalk pastel.
Q: Do you have one or two pieces you’re particularly proud of?
A: The rosary, because I think it showed a lot of my talent.
I also really like the brass knuckles (and) the McDonald’s box, and it was a challenge to show the bent syringe.
I really didn’t like the first two that I did, the Hella Hungry and the IV one. I was trying too hard to have a juxtaposition, and it kind of fell apart.
I liked my acrylic (pieces) the most, as the first three were done in chalk pastel.
Q: Is there a message you’re trying to convey through your concentration?
A: All of them had different meanings; I try to just let it be up to the viewer what they think the message should be.
If you look up Banksy, you can see that there is a strong message behind them, but you have to figure it out for yourself.
—By Grace Naify
