Bailey Biggs

In this portfolio, senior Bailey Biggs focused on making her pieces reflect herself and her interests, including her interest in gore. Biggs mixed cuter images, such as teddy bears and kittens, with more creepy or gory images such as eyeballs and realistic hearts. 

“It’s the guts and it’s also like the pinks and the blues and the daisies,” Biggs said. “Like my childhood stuffed animal with its heart exposed.”

Biggs creates her art with many mediums, using acrylic paint as a base for bright colors before layering on marker, pencil, and oil paint to add detail. Biggs plans to major in Anthropology on the track to Archeology.

“I’m not going to school for art. I don’t like it when people tell me what to draw,” Biggs said. “But I am going to school for anthropology on the track to archaeology, that kind of ancient people make art, it’s a human need to create and looking at the things that people make in context of the time period and context of their own lives and dreams is so fascinating to me.”

Sophia Grantham

Senior Sophia Grantham took inspiration from the novel “Fourth Wing” by Rebecca Yarros for her massive piece depicting a dragon. In addition to the piece shown here, Grantham displayed a book of artworks at her area, filled with many more compositions. 

“Some of my sketchbook is my favorite,” Grantham said. “I didn’t want to rip it out, but I finished my sketchbook this year, which I’ve never done before.”

Grantham plans to attend the University of Colorado, Colorado Springs, majoring in Exercise Science with a double minor in art history and graphic design. 

“I was only in art class for half a year, so I couldn’t make as much as my other classmates,” Grantham said. “But I’m going to minor in art history and graphic design, so I will probably keep doing more art, particularly digital, and being creative.”

Grace Kiewiet

Senior Grace Kiewiet sought to challenge herself in this set of pieces by layering meaning into the works. Specifically, Kiewiet focused on nostalgia through the process of becoming an adult. 

“I found that I was really inspired by my past and my childhood in a lot of my pieces,” Kiewiet said. “The piece I’m most proud of is my ‘Love, Mom’ piece because I worked really hard on it and I think it turned out well. It was also the first still-life piece that I have attempted and it was a really great time.”

Kiewiet uses graphite, ink, paint and collage in her pieces. She plans to attend Illinois Wesleyan University majoring in Psychology. 

“Art has always been a source of stress relief for me so I will use it as that for many years to come,” Kiewiet said. “I might try to minor in art because it is something that I really love but I also don’t see it really becoming part of my career.”

Kate Wren

Senior Kate Wren participated in the Art Gallery with a collection centered on the theme of the precipice between childhood and adulthood. Her work also draws inspiration from an Italian artist, Caravaggio, who uses high contrast in his works. 

“I use this idea of a renaissance to emphasize the process of becoming reborn,” Wren said. “Kind of leaving my youthful innocence behind.”

Wren primarily uses colored pencil in her pieces and often uses screenshots from videos as references. Wren plans to major in Fine Arts with a minor in French. 

“I feel like my life informs my art more than my art informs my life,” Wren said. “Whatever happens, my art will happen with it.”