My name is Janica Soro, and I am a senior enrolled in AP Studio Art at Pacific Grove High school. Art holds a special place in my life. When I am bombarded with emotions I don’t know how to handle, I keep them in the pages of my sketchbook with carefully placed colors and lines. I tell the stories of my inner world through illustration, and one day I hope to share them with others.

I enjoy illustrations with gouache, acrylic, and colored pencils; however, I see myself as primarily a digital artist. Texture and mark-making are elements of my work that helped develop my personal style of illustration. I use events that happen in my life to build the world in my head, and while it helps me cope, it aids in my discovery of new things about myself and the imagery I want to express.

This piece, Breathe, Anak, illustrates the idea of self-reflection within a world of chaos and unrest. By layering gouache, I created movement through a tilted forest into a serene clearing. The characters are weary, and find serenity in the cool tone of the background. I often find myself up against the little voice in my head that tells me that work is the only way to earn fulfillment in life. I lose myself in the need to be better, to find my own path through all of my resentments and responsibilities. As I navigate through an unstable world, I am reminded by my family that I am enough. I am told to find a spot to reflect on how I’ve grown as a person and to appreciate who I am in the present moment. To me, that spot looks like a waterfall in a barren land.