Emie McAthie

Carmel High School

Senior

When it comes to art, I always thought of it as a hobby more than something I could spend the rest of my life doing. I like doodling on my homework and painting. High school is when I really started to take my work seriously and put forth my best effort. Now I use my art as a way to express the purest and most vulnerable parts of myself. I create because I genuinely love it.

I took this opportunity to step out of my comfort zone and experiment with materials besides just paint. Typically, I stick to acrylic and oil paints, as well as simple graphite to create my pieces. More often I lean towards realism and studying the human form, but recently I have taken to going more abstract with my concepts. Experimenting with new textures and mediums has allowed me to broaden my scope of subjects as well.

As of late, I’ve been using art as an outlet for dealing with my emotions and thoughts. This piece started way back in October when I was in a bit of a rut emotionally. But over the months I found enjoyment in creating art again and put my heart into creating something that I loved. Although originally there wasn’t much of a plan, I find that this piece is representative of how the earth is being treated by humans. Our world is dying with us at the center. The skull was my starting point and from there I gathered materials from my home and classrooms to piece together around, sort of like a wreath or frame. I’ve found that my favorite pieces often expose themselves when I have no plan and simply let the piece guide itself.