VANITY//
BY MELISE EYMAN
What is your painting background?
“I’ve never taken any actual painting
classes before this year. This is my first
time having an actual art teacher and cool
materials.”
What does this piece express about you?
“When Mrs. Oppelt first gave the
assignment, she said we could choose any
colors we wanted. At first, I wanted to make
it blue because I really like blue, but when
I saw the photo of the painting in black
and white tones, I chose that instead. [I feel
like that color palette better expresses me
as a whole, especially with my mixed racial
background. I’ve often felt like others try
to categorize or stereotype me into racial
expectations, when really I’m just me.] I’ve
lived my life so far, black and white.”
relaxing, so don’t make painting into a
chore.”
How do the elements of light and shadow
play
into painitng, and in your painting in
.
particular?
“Before we painted the portraits, we
had to take pictures to base the paintings
off of. There was a really cool light that we
could place anywhere we wanted. I’ve always
thought that pictures with people’s faces
half in shadow and half in light were so
mysterious and cool, so I tried to replicate
that in my own painting. Shadow and light
can make objects appear much more real
and 3D looking on a 2D surface, and I think
that that aspect of painting is what captures
a lot of emotion in paintings.”
What were some challenges you faced when
painting this portrait?
What do you hope others get out of your
painting?
“I’ve never painted an ‘actual’
painting before, so I was really worried that
the painting wouldn’t turn out how I wanted
”
it to; It was really
hard to get all the little
details right.
“First, I just want to say that I’m
really proud of this painting because its
my first ‘official’ one, and I’m really proud
that it turned out so well (in my opinion).
Second, I hope that people can look at my
painting and be inspired to paint something
for themselves, no matter their skill level,
because art is such an important part of life,
and I want as many people as possible to
take part in it.”
What advice do you give to beginning
painters?
“This might not be the best advice,
but have fun with the painting. The act of
12 mixing colors and painting itself are so