Why are you interested in visual art?

I started in middle school just to do something, and ended up liking it. I just really liked how I could do what my brain wanted me to do. I’ve always had trouble expressing myself in words, so I think art helps me do that. I also just really like how art’s open-ended; everything’s open to interpretation. Every viewer has a different view on it; there’s not one single right answer. It’s what you get out of the piece. It’s not just, “this is what Picasso wanted to do;” it’s what Picasso wanted you to see.

Do you find yourself focusing on any themes or ideas in your work?

This year it’s been darker, but next year I plan for it to be more happy and quirky.

You’re already planning for next year?

I made the summer program for the Kansas City Art Institute so I need to know for that.

That’s great! I know you have talked before about your plans there. How did that start?

Well, they came to visit- they came here, they had a representative that came to this class and told us about the school. The next week I made a college visit and I loved it, so now that’s where I desperately want to go.

So you’re focusing on these two themes: one’s a little darker and one’s happy and quirky. Why are you concentrating on different ideas?

I think it will help me practice doing all sorts of things, but I’m also doing it because I like taking risks in art and both of these things can be very risky in their own separate ways, so it’s almost as if I can learn very separate things from the two different subject matters.

What is the purpose of your art? Do you want to get a specific point across or just express yourself?

I want to express myself. If other people learn from it that’s cool, but I really want to expand people’s minds, let them learn something

Do you plan on pursuing art as a career?

Yeah, I would love to be a freelance artist. I would live on commission and do my art that way.