DPS Citywide Art Show :: Senior Portfolios

DPS CIT YWIDE AR T SHOW POR TF OLIOS

2021

DSA Cliff

DSA Cliff Olivia L., 12th grade, Throughout our childhood and development, anxiety is natural and essential to maturing.

As we continually grow and learn, looking back on our past priorities can put perspective on problems we may face today. Although many of these fears we once experienced may seem comical, their importance to our individuality is something to be celebrated. Throughout my children’s book and portfolio, I depict these once menacing and daunting fears through the vibrant imagination of a child. I combined popular imagery in childrens’ books and media such as “Goodnight Moon” and styles from Dr. Seuss, putting an emphasis on perspective. In efforts to approach generalized anxiety through playful illustrations and narratives, my intentions are to evoke a sense of relation and community from the reader(s). Depicting anxiety in such a soft lens can help begin to normalize and celebrate something that affects so many of us today!

“Eyes on Me” “Stranger Danger” “Deep End” Imaginary Friends” “Peek-A-Boo.”

DSA Cliff Olly G., 12th grade, Why do we dream? What do our dreams mean? Dreams and hallucinations can be partly attributed to being the source for humans developing a belief in higher purpose and consciousness. Primitive human spirituality is rooted in the idea that all living things have a soul. A soul that can transcend our physical bodies, and in theory visit higher realms. How can our dreams help us ascend? What will we meet on the path to ascension? What can we learn about the Universe and what will the Universe teach us on our journey? This is what I’ve explored in my series, the Dreamscape.

“Tetragramm.” “Introduction” “Prophetic Dreams” “Adam Kadmon” “Third Eye”

DSA Cliff

Laura R., 12th grade, Throughout my sustained investigation, I wanted to explore myself in different contexts.

My question was, based on my values, where should I find myself next? This subject has allowed me to experiment with many different types of media, ranging from collage on wood, plexiglass, wire, and even photography.

Working in this manner has played a large role in allowing me to better understand my personal perception of myself, how I confront challenges, and the ways I solve problems. I decided to incorporate some form of my silhouette or image within each piece to ensure I captured the intimacy of this investigation. I am constantly pushing myself to find unique ways to execute the different characteristics of my works whether it be through angular lines and shapes or softer lines and rounded forms. My goal is that the viewer is able to formulate an individual consciousness about my personality and the relationship I have with my environment.

DSA Loftus

“Contained.” “Myriad” “Pathways” “Solitude” “Dusk to Dawn”

DSA Loftus

DSA Loftus Rebeca P., 12th grade, My portfolio is centered around the different stages of my life. I use color to capture the elements in my life that have influenced me to become the person I am today. The narrative takes you through growing up in Queens, New York through my journey in becoming an independent individual in Denver, Colorado.

“Fifteen Years.” “When I Was Young” “A Walk to School” “Dimmed Light” “Subway Travels”

DSA Loftus

East Ackley

Breier J., 12th grade, “Sgraffito Portfolio.” An investigation of the use of sgraffito as surface design on functional wheel thrown forms.

East Ackley

East Ackley

Nathalie B., 12th grade, “Portfolio of figure sculptures.” These works were created to honor the female principle displayed in famous paintings of women, and to expand the representation within them by modeling real, diverse women as revered works of art.

East Ackley

East Overby

Michael (Maren) B., 12th grade, “Senior Portfolio”. You can’t perfectly plan the future if you’re not living in it. life is too unpredictable to have a full heart of hope. The pandemic has proven that even with a positive attitude, your core consciousness fades away and you are just a flake of your true self stuck in a box. On the outside, others think you’re doing just perfectly. In reality, you’re wrapping your head around how the world works, questing your future steps, and feeling the pressures of time. Everything is unknown until you experience it. The most positive person in the world will eventually break down at some point. It’s not a breakdown of mental health, it’s a soul tear down that affects your whole life.

At the beginning of the investigation I was filled with excitement, joy, glee, but as the pandemic continued my desire dampened: the color yellow was symbolizing my happiness in the beginning. During my time trapped in my room plus my thoughts, my vision started to look more saturated. I took time to read books about motivating yourself and bettering your mental health, shown with the introduction of colors again in pieces.

East Overby

East Overby

Olivia C., 12th grade, “Senior Portfolio”. This is part of my AP Portfolio for this year. I wanted to explore fairytales, more specifically the original version of the stories that were darker and scarier. An example of this is how the original Grimm’s fairytales are nothing like the newer Disney versions. I wanted to take aspects of the narratives that were not as familiar to a contemporary audience and visualize them in my own style.

East Overby

George Washington Castanon

Emily S., 12th grade, “Heat.” Heat portrays the feeling of being put on the spot in a public space. The thermal design highlights the heat of embarrassment, the underwater figure represents a feeling of submergence, and the eyes of the bubbles symbolize a feeling of being watched.

Emily S., 12th grade, “Bloom.” Bloom presents a positive of being quiet: the tranquility of alone time and imagination. The background flowers contain more strokes and are less blended, creating a dreamy and soft mood associated with imagination. The portrait juxtaposes this mood as it’s more blended and realistic. The relationship between the background and portrait demonstrates how we interact with our creativity and how we can dive into our imagination.

Emily S., 12th grade, “Obscure.” Obscure highlights the difference between our public and private selves. The left canvas contains the normal portrait, representing a public place and what we show others while the right canvas is inverted to represent what we’re like alone. The wavy lines symbolize the influence that others have on us and the eyes portray pressure we feel from others to act a certain way.

Emily S., 12th grade, “Dreamy.” Dreamy explores day-dreaming and imagination which is usually a common occurrence when someone is more quiet. The surreal floating islands and pink water are done in oil pastel and the background is done in gouache in order to exemplify a dream-like quality. The portrait in the corner is done in colored pencil to represent a more concrete reality as I transition into a dream-like state.

George Washington Castanon

Emily S., 12th grade, “Focus.” In Focus, contrast is created between the two separate self-portraits in red and blue. This contrast is used to represent our duality as humans, and more specifically, the facade we sometimes put on in public. As a people-pleaser, I often find myself portraying the red portrait when being watched by others, even when the blue portrait better represents my feelings of fatigue. However, both portraits are a part of me, which is why they are combined.

KCAA Ayres

KCAA Ayres Cat B., 12th grade, Mixed Media Portfolio. The inquiry question my portfolio is based on is “how can I show the physical form or appearance of the difficult emotions I have related to my close relationships?” My experience completing this portfolio has been a real journey for me. It has forced me to look deeper into my feelings, farther than I ever have. I not only have learned a lot about art and how I perceive the world, but I have learned an incredible amount about myself. I feel like through this experience, I have developed my own artistic style and knowledge about what my art and art in general means to me. Art is not just a skill or a talent, but it truly is a way of communication without having to be sound. There is so much more to art than just “being good” at it; it comes down to how you perceive things, what your message is, why you are doing it and how you portray what you think. I did a lot of experimenting, revising, and practice throughout this series, as this is really my first time using mixed media as an art form. The process for these pieces was very messy physically and emotionally.

These are the first pieces that I have tried something different and developed more of a personal collage style.

KCAA Ayres

Daniela V. M., 12th grade, My portfolio is an examination of myself and the journey to find the balance within myself so that I may truly feel like myself.

KCAA Ayres

KCAA Preston

Marissa B., 12th grade, “Can’d Aid Can Design”

Marissa B., 12th grade, “KCAA Japan Trip Shirt Design”

Marissa B., 12th grade, “KCAA Yearbook Cover Design”. Marissa is a hyper talented senior digital artist at the Kunsmiller Creative Arts Academy

Marissa B., 12th grade, “She Kills Monsters Show Poster Design”

KCAA Preston Marissa B., 12th grade, “The Odd Couple Show Poster Design”

KCAA Preston

Yuvia O. R., 12th grade, “Odd Couple”

Yuvia O. R., 12th grade, “Kill Bill Type Series”

Yuvia O. R., 12th grade, “iGroot”. Yuvia is a hyper talented senior artist at the Kunsmiller Creative Arts Academy

Yuvia O. R., 12th grade, “Fasion Killa”

KCAA Preston

Yuvia O. R., 12th grade, “She Kills Monsters”

North Searls

Lily S., 12th grade, “Breakfast at Tiffany’s”. This piece was inspired by one of my favorite movies.

Done in black felt pen and white gel pen.

Lily S., 12th grade, “Eye” First experimentation with recreating images in various lines. Done in felt tip pen and graphite pencil.

Lily S., 12th grade, “Reflection”. Inspired by portrait reflection photography. The drawing was recreated on both sides of the paper to mimic reflection, colored blue to give the idea that it is reflected into water. Done in felt tip pen and colored pencil.

North Searls

Lily S., 12th grade, “Mowgli”. Drawing inspired by my puppy Mowgli. Done in colored pencil.

Lily S., 12th grade, “Layers”. Experimentation with layering different materials to create a portrait. Done with acrylic paint, magazine paper, glitter, modge podge, and colored felt tip pens.

North Searls

Marisa B., 12th grade, “Familiar Follower”. A familiar presence looms around the corner.

Marisa B., 12th grade, “Can You See Me?”. The ghost reaches out.

Marisa B., 12th grade, “Reunited”. The girl has become the ghost.

North Searls

Marisa B., 12th grade, “Open Arms”. The transition between seeing and becoming.

Marisa B., 12th grade, “I Can See You.”. The girl has been reached.

Northfield Harper

Deva S., 12th grade, The initial idea for this exhibition began as an exploration of portraiture as a way of “looking inward”. I then composed a selection of portraits that I felt had powerful implications regarding a person’s internal landscape (emotionally and intellectually) and were technically strong. The initial intention which was set was for the reader to see any and every emotion of theirs reflected in my portraits, directing their thoughts to how they interacted with their emotions. However, looking at my selection of works I felt they were more focused on my specific internal process rather than just being mirrors for vague but powerful internal landscapes.

At this point I also noticed that all of my portraits were oriented towards the left. This pattern became very interesting as I realized it was present in much of my art. I interpreted this as a subconscious expression of my intentions in creating these portraits--to convey mental phenomena that is difficult to deal with or is negatively framed in society.

“Wonder”

“Misfit”.

Northfield Harper

“Rage”

“Anxious”

“Sometimes the Silence is Louder than the Noise”

Northfield Harper

Sophie K., 12th grade, “My Ethnicity Is Not A Virus”. The intent of this exhibition is to epitomize causes for activism during the COVID-19 pandemic, specifically the faces that inspired millions throughout the United States to use their voices for change. Witnessing acts of racial violence, hate, and division increase throughout 2020 became a cause for many to take to the streets and become integral parts of the peaceful protests for systemic change. But regardless of where people were physically during this pandemic, people throughout the world were more likely to be in a worse place mentally as isolation and an unrecognizable world became the harsh new normal. Social media and public figures became a source of awareness and reassurance that we can adapt and overcome our challenging circumstances, which taught people to care, and this high point is best characterized by a new beginning in leadership with the Biden Harris administration. Integrating face masks with messages associated with each portrait’s respective social justice issue was a key aspect in connecting with the viewer in that they linked the reality of the exhibition’s intent with something a nearly universal yet unique experience. It was organized in a chronological and developmental manner that had viewers reading it as America’s story of social justice issues in 2020 and moving into 2021. With the beginning stages of isolation being most negative and moving forward as I saw the good in the millions of people who became or continued to be allies and finally seeing new faces as the leaders of this country.

“My Ethnicity Is Not A Virus”.

“No Justice, No Peace”

“Are You Really “Fine”?”

“Take It To The Streets, Defund The Police. No Justice, No Peace”

Northfield Harper

“For All Americans”