Grade: 12

Tools: “I love Sharpies. I have to have Sharpies. They’re probably my favorite thing to use. I don’t get too specific, though. It changes a lot. I use a lot of mixed media. Ink pencil, colored pencil. I like spray paint. Using just one thing gets boring; I like mixing it up.”

Inspiration: “Just what happens in my daily life. What I see and experience in and out of school, what I feel, how I process my world. You know, if a teacher asks me for a paper, I ask if I can draw because it’s easier. I always have ideas in the back of my head. And culture, especially. I grew up with an Italian mom and a Mexican dad, which has been a big influence. What I’ve seen in other countries and the people I’ve met; I’ve learned so much in a cultural way and that really helps with my work.”

Style: “I started when I was a little kid, just drawing randomly. As I aged, I realized it was something deeper than just drawing and that took me a while to figure out. Because of that, I don’t really follow what the teachers tell me to do. How I see it in my head is how I put it on the paper. I grow by trying things and experimenting. Of course, there are ways to go by the book, but it’s mostly what comes out of my head.”

Why: “I’ve always liked it. It became a hobby and a passion. Now it’s how I process everything, how I express myself. I have to do it, now, and some people don’t really understand [that]. I like that everyone has their own way of doing it; that’s my favorite part. The art I do is mine, no one else’s. And everyone has different ways they think it should be. Some people don’t get what’s up in a painting, but the artists knows exactly what’s up because it’s his. It’s a really special thing.”

Grade: 11

Tools: White paper, black gel pen

What:  ”I just take one of my black gel pens and they always turn out as these swirls, and just let it be free flowing and almost organic looking because I know when I’ve tried to make liner, geometric shapes, it just doesn’t look very sophisticated or interesting. Sometimes when I’m anxious it just comes out.  The intent is to be almost therapeutic. Sometimes I’ll just do it because I feel like getting something out.”

Began: “Honestly, a couple months ago. I made my first one when I didn’t really want to concentrate on what I had to be doing and it was just simple- my technique for doing it. So I just kept replicating it. Sometimes I do them in class because sometimes I don’t want to stop when I’m doing one. And It’s encouraging when someone looks over and is like, “Oh that’s cool” or, “That’s intricate” or, “That looks like a maze” or something, and that makes me feel good and it makes me want to keep doing them.”

Inspiration:  ”I’m just really inspired by things that are naturally occurring and look really cool. Or, like in mathematics, fractals. I think those are really awesome. They’re just like shapes with a lot of different little designs inside of them.  When I’m inspired to do something it’s because I really want to sit down to work on it and that’s when I try to make them the most elaborate. When I sit down to draw one it’s not really with a purpose; I use it as an outlet. I feel like if I use other outlets I’m going to be kind of disappointed, but usually, if I need to focus on something, and I end up drawing one of my shape designs, I feel like I did something constructive. I’ve tried adding color to them, but there’s something I really like about black gel pen on white paper. Especially since I could never draw comic book looking doodles like I wanted.”

Grade: 12

Tools: “I like to use different mediums; I really like experimenting.”

Inspiration: “I don’t really have any inspiration. I feel like a lot of it is random and mostly just things I like or if I have a cool idea I want to pursue.”

Involvement: “It was just something I always enjoyed and wanted to be better at. I’ve taken design, drawing, and photo. Drawing was my favorite because I feel like drawing is a big part of any art work.”

Favorite Part: “I like the way it relates different things in a visual sense. I like that pieces can have multiple meanings and it’s an easy way to express yourself.”

Grade: 12

Tools: Pencil to sketch out initial piece. Oil pastels and acrylic paints for AP concentration. “I like the vibrant looks acrylics get when I’m finished with them.”

AP Studio Art Concentration: “Through each piece I try to highlight animal qualities in people. Because we’re different species, but we share similar qualities. In each piece, I’m putting an animal head on a human body. The one I’m working on right now is a bull’s head on a business man’s body and he’s holding money.”

Future: “I want to major in fine arts or graphic design. I’m not totally sure about which school I want to go to, but art is something that I love and I’m very passionate about it. I plan on doing art even if I’m homeless; it’s what I want to do and what I plan to do. Even if I don’t have a lot of money, art is what gets me through most days, and that happiness is more important than money.”

Inspiration: “This sounds weird, but I get a lot of inspiration from Lady Gaga. Those who know me know that I’m Lady Gaga obsessed. She inspires me to do my own thing and that’s what draws me to her. When I first found out about her, I thought she was weird and she almost made me uncomfortable, which was interesting and daring. I try to do that with my art. I want to make people uncomfortable so it leaves an impression. That’s what people remember. It may not be accepted, but I’m fascinated by weird things.”

Grade: 9

Tools: camera, pencils, acrylic paint. “I’ll work with whatever I’m given.”

Benefit of Different Media: “I like doing different projects with different mediums because there are different ways to do different styles. I like the diversity and how it turns out in the end.”

Began: “Probably when I could first start writing because my dad would always encourage me to get involved and do little projects. He still has some of my projects from when I was three.”

Inspiration: “My dad. People have always told me they love my dad’s artwork and I see it everywhere I go. I’ve always been inspired to be artistic like him.”

Medium: Mixed Media, Watercolor

Tools: Water Color set, 35mm Black and White Camera, her family’s Nikon, and Rubber Cement

Inspired By: Impressionist Artists; Yinka Shabare whose fashion inspired works place African culture in a european setting.

Recent Training: Early College Program at the Art Institute of Chicago

What Makes You Unique: “I want to put a lot of meaning into my work. I try to make every decision have a reason behind it. Even if it’s just aesthetics, I like to have a reason.”

Graphite covering her fingers, senior Cassie Sterbenz leans back to examine her work. The image that has been stuck in her mind all day has finally been placed permanently on paper. Her creation, a Native american chief, stares hopefully into the distance, the future. She smiles, her mind feeling clear for the first time all day. For as long as she can remember, drawing has been her way of making sense of the world. Taking seemingly pointless scenes and objects and giving them meaning.

“When I draw, I am not just making something that will look nice. It needs something behind it,” she says, pulling out sketches from past art classes. That “something” behind her art is exactly what makes it unique. There always seems to be a meaning, a thought, a hidden message imploring the viewer to look closer.

She began drawing because of her dad. “He is the one who made me start, now it’s other artists and people who push me farther and make me want to try new things,” she says when discussing her artistic beginnings. While trying things such as painting and other media are new and exciting, plain and simple graphite pencils are her tools of choice. Her thoughts flow from her mind through the pencil to create emotion filled works.
After winning several awards and Best-in-show at a school sponsored art show during her junior year, Cassie looks forward to the coming year with anticipation. She is enrolled in AP art and is beginning to look at which college programs suit her style the most. She plans to strongly focus on art in the coming years. “It is such a huge part of my life. Art is my form of expression. It helps me discover who I am and what I like.” It is clear from her art thus far that Cassie is not afraid to try new things and express exactly what she feels, not relying on others to choose her expressions for her.

Moss became interested in commercial art sophomore year when he took the class from Mrs. Simchuk. Only recently though, commercial art has become his business. His interest in other mediums of art, such as painting and drawing, complement his talent for PhotoShop, which he uses for projects.

You can contact Moss at (913) 339-8144 or jmoney80@yahoo.com.