Sophie Curtis, a junior, is an up-and-coming artist at Pleasant Valley High School. While her work is currently unknown to the student body, it wont stay that way for long.
Curtis has been an aspiring artist since middle school but hasn’t been able to participate in art classes up until this year because of scheduling conflicts. She enjoys painting the most, focusing on oil, acrylic paint and oil pastel. Her favorite scene to paint is nature but hopes to branch of and work on painting people next.
This year she has competed in Quad City arts which is a festival and a competition. She hopes to compete in All-State art next year, but held off this year in hopes of creating a stronger portfolio. Curtis enjoys the process of art competitions, even though she is new to it. “I think submitting art and challenging yourself to do competitions can give an artist more exposure to the public, schools, and scholarship opportunities,” she said.
Curtis is interested in an art-related field in the future, but is not sure on her exact plans yet as she looks forward to continuing her education after high school. “I love being involved in art because it allows me to express myself as a person and my thoughts and emotions. Art also is a great outlet to learn about other artists art styles, and cultures,” she said.
She draws inspiration from not only nature, but other people’s art, as well. It has become much easier to share and experience art with the growth of social media. “I spend a lot of time on Instagram looking at other artists because I like to learn about other art styles and techniques. Some artist that inspire me are Lindsay Rapp, Irina Cumberland, and Leon Denice,” she said.
Curtis has many goals for next year. She wants to complete her AP art portfolio and work more on painting portraits. “I want to practice painting portraits because I have always struggled with them.” she said. She also wants to be more involved in the art community in the coming year.
Curtis not only enjoys creating her art, but sharing it with others. With her work just beginning and so many wonderful goals for the future, it will be exciting to see what she creates as she grows as an artist.
