[ccfic caption-text format="plaintext"]
By Douglas McCulloch
Hometown Weekly Staff
Walpole High art students had the chance to highlight their work last Tuesday as the art department hosted its annual AP Studio Art Reception in the high school lobby.
The creative works of 11 of this year’s AP art students were on display for the community to view. Six students were from the drawing program, three were 2D design students, and two were 3D design students.
For Walpole High art teacher Willa McKee, the AP Studio Art Reception has always been an exciting time for her to see her student’s work on display. Every year, she is impressed by the quality of the works her students create.
“Every year I am impressed as if it’s the first time I’ve ever done it before,” McKee said. “Every year there is a fresh set of visions and different artists working on their own artistic voices. It’s art and it just continues to be alive.”
Walpole High senior Jeanine Bell looked to her love of Japan for inspiration for her art pieces. She has been fascinated with Japanese culture since she was young, and has immersed herself in Japanese culture by taking martial arts courses and is learning Japanese.
“A lot of my pieces are based off of Japan and how its interacted with my life,” Bell said.
Although she is still working on her final AP portfolio, she was excited to display her completed works for the public to see.
“I feel very professional which is nice. It feels good and it feels like a good accomplishment so I am very proud of it,” Bell said.
While some students found inspiration from their passions, other students looked to current events and society for inspiration.
Walpole High senior Kayla Christy displayed a collection of her artwork, titled “The Influence of Technology,” at the reception. She based her works off of her observations of society’s addiction to technology.
“We are consumed by our phones and everything that is going on in the digital world, and I just wanted to capture the emotion of that in my work,” Christy explained.