For anyone who was raised Catholic, this is an iconic scene: the frilly white dress, dozens of second graders in their literal Sunday best, tuxedos and all, surrounded by countless family and community members. Of course, the centerpiece of the after-party is a stunning white cake, meant to be shared.

As I’ve grown up, my relationship with Catholicism has become increasingly complicated, and yet this memory remains with me. On the one hand, my local parish provided my family and myself with endless support during tumultuous times and, on the other, the Catholic church as an institution challenges my rights to bodily autonomy and to express myself freely. While this painting began as a stunning photograph provided by my neighbor (I’m exploring adolescence for my AP Drawing portfolio so consistently seeking baby photos with personality) evolved into a more personal piece, one documenting my recollection of and relationships with the Catholic church.

As I’ve progressed with my art career, I’ve been enthusiastic about pushing my limits of familiarity and exploring new techniques and styles, caring more about my process than the finished product. I’ve made tremendous progress with capturing faces within the past year and wanted to highlight that by pursuing a more ambitious piece. Additionally, I wanted to balance the warm and cool tones with a robust range of values; I leaned heavily on phthalo blue for the background, working to balance it with a warmer foreground. Despite my preference for working in black and white, I sought to use the entire color spectrum to my advantage– once again working beyond my comfort zone. In all, I’m content with my final piece, my variation in technique, exploration of color, and backstory.