About the Artist

My AP Art and Design Portfolio is dedicated to the places that have defined my childhood and how they helped shape the person I grew up to be. Within this larger theme, I have also attempted to portray the concept of religion that has connected so many of these places to each other. Since I come from a long line of pastors, teachers, and elders, the Christian faith and the church have served as the primary foundations of my entire adolescent life. This is why settings like churches and summer camps are a part of my portfolio, because they are places where my family members and I have grown in this faith. My collaged print is a direct allusion to my involvement in the local church, but my prints of international churches and cathedrals, like the Duomo and Yorkminster, show how religion has followed me wherever I go. I also etched the New College of Edinburgh, where my grandfather received his PhD before beginning his pastoral career, as well as the main street in Lexington, VA, which is where I spent my winterim, and also happens to have a church in the background. The other half of my portfolio consists of oil paintings, on various different canvas sizes, portraying my two summer camps, my school, and the Grove, which is in Oxford, MS. Although etching and painting are two vastly different mediums, both were needed to accurately represent each of these places. I used the color and texture of oil paint to make my landscapes pop off their canvases, and the straight lines of etching to add geometry and symmetry to my architectural prints. Natural settings and man made buildings have equally contributed to my upbringing, so I wanted to give them equal weight in my sustained investigation. I hope these places give you a window into my life, but also cause you to think about the places that have influenced yours. Enjoy!