Convent of the Sacred Heart students explore their interest in art by taking Advanced Placement (AP) art concentration courses. With focuses in either studio art or photography, students are able to center their work around a theme and craft their own portfolios.
AP art concentrations allow students to choose between art and photo. Once the student has chosen her course, there are several different required projects. Students are also allowed to choose a theme. Throughout the year, they take photographs or create art that coincides with their theme, which they will compile into a portfolio and present to the college board as their AP exam.
Senior Alana Galloway’s concentration is print photography. Alana combines her love for both drawing and photography by drawing over and around her prints.
“I am basically taking my photography work and expanding images using colored pencils and paints,” Alana said. “I have really enjoyed working on these pieces, since they have given me an opportunity to combine both art and photography.”
Similarly, senior Colleen DeConcini’s concentration is motion in photography. Colleen takes photographs of people doing their daily routines such as going to school or waiting for a train at Grand Central.
“My goal is to seek the stillness hidden amidst a chaotic scene and capture a moment in time that would otherwise go unnoticed,” Colleen said.
Senior Maddie DeVita’s art concentration focuses on rendering metallic surfaces in colored pencil. Maddie draws a variety of household objects and spaces, such as a car wheel or the Eiffel Tower.
“I always loved drawing in colored pencil because, first of all, it was the medium that I was most comfortable using and I could draw in such precision and detail,” Maddie said.
Senior Kelly McLaughlin’s concentration is focused on both the inside and outside of the human body. Kelly uses acrylic paint to mimic a pop-art, “heat-mapping,” style to make the images appear abstract.
Kelly separated lights and darks into gradient shades and then assign them a color to be painted in, similar to “heat-mapping” or a paint by numbers style.
“As I painted each piece, I moved my sight further into the body, beginning with the full image of a man and woman, and ending with the tiniest slide of a kidney cell,” Kelly said. “Additionally, I tried to implement more and more colors into my pieces as I zoomed in. The first piece has three colors, and the last piece has sixteen.”
Additionally, senior Ali Danahy’s concentration is finding patterns and designs that occur in nature. Ali mimics these patterns in her artwork.
“I chose it because I love landscapes and watercolor, but I also wanted to incorporate doodles and patterns into my concentration because I love doodling in my spare time,” Ali said.
AP art student work hangs on the walls in the hallway near the Chapel.
– Nadia Zuaiter, Staff Writer