My name is Ashley Aguilar. I am a 12th grader at North Salinas High School. Creating art is an expressive freedom where limits and boundaries only exist within me. I create art to illustrate and capture moments from a different perspective. My painting is made from a wooden canvas and water-based acrylic paint. I decided to go with a choppy art style, stacking paint up on itself and purposely not blending colors fully. Acrylic paint was the preferred medium for this project since it is fast-drying and more reliable to me.

My painting is of my six-year-old cat, Ginger, who I love very dearly. The Love of Art prompt put me in deep thought about what inspires my art and what motivates me to create art. At first, I thought of painting a scenic landscape with trees and lots of greenery, but after much thought, I ended up at the place I love most. Ginger is where the majority of my love goes and I keep her very close to me. She was a kitten my family had rescued off the street and ever since, we have become very close. Whenever I am sad, tired, or not in a good mood, Ginger comes and lays with me. I believe that painting Ginger was the best suit for my Love of Art submission since she is a part of my definition of Love. I had the opportunity to capture her image in a different art style and show her off to the world.