AP art student portfolios

POSING IN PETALS — Senior Amanda McVey poses in a dress she created with the goal of reexamining femininity in modern society. “Femininity today ... includes both traditional feminine aspects as well as traditional masculine aspects but in a feminine light,” McVey said. Photo: Audrey Joachim

FLASHES OF PAINT, ridges of surround her figure. For Ford, this painting cardboard, ripples of fabric. No especially stands out because of the time matter the medium, Palo Alto she dedicated to creating it. High School boasts a vibrant art “Some of the pieces I’ve made have community through its numerous classes, been so rushed this year,” Ford said. “With clubs and community events. For many this painting, I really put a lot of effort into dedicated artists, Paly AP studio art classes it and I’m glad that it turned out well.” are the final step in their high school artistic Other pieces convey more fantastijourney. cal themes, Artists are tasked to explore a chosen theme through a yearlong portfolio “I often like to listen to a particular song as many times as I can and attempt to illusdepicting unnamed figures and landscapes awash in a kaleidoscope of in any medium they wish. Here’s trate my colorful visions.” colors. One portrays a mysa closer look at — REESE FORD, junior terious woman three Paly artists suspended in who have developed their portfolios and outer space, enveloped in a circle of multipursued diverse artistic avenues. colored planets and music notes. Ford also draws inspiration from the Reese Ford: Simulating synesthesia times she feels overwhelmed from the sen-

With a Zoom window framed by the sory overload. She describes developing a colorful paintings propped up against her bedroom wall, Reese Ford, a Paly junior painting to show the overstimulation she once experienced at a concert, trying to EXPERIENCES TO EXPRESSION — This self-portrait is one piece in junior Reese Ford’s AP portfolio that speaks to her experiin AP Studio Art Drawing, describes using convey the feelings of anxiety and chaos. ences with synesthesia. Art: Reese Ford painting to express her experiences with “I was inspired by a classical music synesthesia. piece I saw performed live a couple of years

Synesthesia is a neurological condi- ago,” Ford said. “I used neon gel pens to had all the past years to find your medium, tion in which one’s senses are blended and create intense colors but also isolated a what you work with in your own style,” sensory stimulations, such as sound, si- square in the center of the drawing so that Guillet said. multaneously trigger other senses, such as I could use realistic colors, representing the Despite this switch, Guillet has mansight and taste. According to Ford, while reality of the situation amidst the chaotic aged to create a collection of cardboard the experience can at times be intense and colors.” pieces that capture his creativity. His faoverwhelming, synesthesia is also a major vorite piece — an elegant sword — layers source of creative inspiration. Andrew Guillet: Cardboard spires of cardboard towards a tapered end.

“Synesthesia allows me to see colors creations A white handle curls up toward the blade, when I read and hear music,” Ford said. Unlike students in AP 2D art classes, where slight variations in the tone of each “In my art-making process I often like to many AP Sculpture students, including tier creates depth. The result is a seemingly listen to a particular song as many times as senior Andrew Guillet, have chosen not to simply but startlingly complex piece, which I can and attempt to illustrate my colorful visions.” Her AP portfolio is an explosion of color and energy, each piece including realistic and abstracted components in an array of brilliant hues. Ford used mainly oil paints center their designs around a theme this year. In a typical year, students are free to experiment with materials and “It [AP Sculpture] has definitely helped me understand that I have an ability holds a special historic significance for Guillet. “The reason I chose to and alcohol-based ink pens to develop her eventually end up to just create things.” create a sword is series of whimsical pieces, and she sums up with a 20-piece because I could the overall concept behind the collection as portfolio. Howev- — ANDREW GUILLET, senior use references a “mirage, an illusion, a projection.” er, due to material from historic

In one piece — a vibrant self-portrait availability during distance learning, that swords, while still adding my own artistic created with oils — Ford’s face is painted format has changed to center around card- flair,” he said. in an array of purple-blue tones, and a sea board. History has been a common inspiraof psychedelic colors flow from her chest to “Typically in class you would have tion for Guillet, who also engages in glass

blowing outside of school.

“Especially in glassblowing, I have been fascinated with the old style of glassworking from first century Rome and Venice, which is why a lot of my work is simple yet refined cups and vases,” Guillet said.

While the change in class format has been challenging, overall, Guillet’s experiences in AP art have helped him realize his capabilities as a problem solver and innovator.

“It [AP Sculpture] has definitely helped me understand that I have an ability to just create things if I want to,” Guillet said. “Before, it would just be an idea if I had a solution to something, but now I could actually create that solution.”

Amanda McVey: Passion for fashion

“It’s so much more than just a piece of cloth on a hanger or on a person.”

For as long as she can remember, senior Amanda McVey has been fascinated by fashion design. Now, that passion is the core of her AP Studio Art work.

“What I did is make a mood board for what my personal brand would be,” McVey said. “If I were to be a fashion designer with a clothing brand, what would my clothing brand look like? Who would wear my products? And what kind of person would they be?”

Looking through this lens is what ultimately inspired McVey’s portfolio theme of contemporary femininity, which she describes as a combination of traditionally feminine and masculine ideals.

“It’s not like man versus woman,” McVey said. “It’s all that femininity can be. It’s duality, it’s juxtaposition, and I really like to think of it as both a melting pot and a spectrum of traits.”

While McVey’s portfolio focuses on illustrations, she is also including one three-dimensional piece that she developed, designed and created herself: a flowing blue dress dotted with silk flowers. Bunches of periwinkle fabric spill from a collar of purple and cream petals. A dark cluster of maroon flowers blooms over the heart, alluding to the inspiration behind the piece.

“It was a cultural, historical study of the painting ‘Ophelia’ by John Everett Millais, which depicts the character Ophelia from Shakespeare’s ‘Hamlet’ laying in the river,” McVey said. “She’s either interpreted as naive, innocent, just a virgin character, or she’s a really sexual character that her father and brother are trying to cage in.”

The flowers on the dress symbolize aspects of Ophelia, an example of how McVey incorporates themes from Millais’ painting to convey Ophelia’s story through fabric. “[In the painting,] she’s laying in the river, so I wanted it [the dress] to take sheer blue fabrics so it looks like wet fabric, which further plays into her sexualized nature,” McVey said. “In a lot of statues, you see women in this fabric. It looks wet, it’s very revealing of the body, so I wanted to play into that.”

McVey plans to pursue her love of fashion in college and as a career to continue telling stories through innovative design.

“There’s a lot of symbolism that can be said in a piece of clothing,” McVey said. “Fashion can be used in so many different ways, you can hide yourself or put yourself out there and everything in between.” v

SEWN FROM A STORY — Senior Amanda McVey models a dress she designed after the character Ophelia from “Hamlet.” “She was a character that was often disregarded, swept aside,” McVey said. Photo: Audrey Joachim

“Fashion can be used in so many different ways, you can hide yourself or put yourself out there and everything in between.” — AMANDA MCVEY, senior UNBOTTLED CREATIVITY — Like the piece he displays, senior Andrew Guillet’s art is simple yet profound. “I like to call myself a craftsman rather than a sculptor,” Guillet said. Photo: Audrey Joachim