A: My piece is from a picture I took at the Holocaust Museum in Washington, D.C. I painted the picture because I was fascinated with the architecture of the building, and I felt that the stairway was one of the most interesting parts of it. Also, since I visited during the daytime and it was rather sunny outside, all the light from outside was coming in, and it created a very interesting pattern of lights on the stairs. When drawing or painting, I like to analyze light and color; and I felt the contrast of the picture I took was interesting, and therefore, I decided to paint it.

Q: What medium/media did you use? In which section of the portfolio did you submit it?

A: I decided to use tempera paint, because it dries quickly, and its not much for mixing. I wanted to paint the building sectioned, so I could capture each section of light or color. I also felt like this would better serve to represent the Holocaust Museum. I submitted the piece in the Breadth section of the Drawing Portfolio.

Q: What particularly do you like about the artwork?

A: I am still  fascinated today with the Holocaust Museum itself, and as an artist, you paint. You register things into your mind, and you re-register them onto a piece of paper or canvas. Though this piece may have been registered the same when it when in my head and when it went out (thus the painting still looks like the picture of the museum that I took), it is still a memory for me. When I look at it, I still feel like I'm there; not because it looks like the picture necessarily, but because this is my interpretation of the building, and its atmosphere. And it will always be a part of me.

Q: Did the piece involve any particular challenges or difficulties?

A: I did not encounter any big challenges while working on the piece; just the usual of any project, such as figuring a composition, what paint to use, how you’re going to paint it, which paper or canvas, how big, and how much time will I spend on it.

Q: How did it fit into your AP course?

A: Because my piece is a study of something, it fit very well into the Breadth section of my Drawing Portfolio.

Q: Did you study art long before taking AP?

A: I have done art since I was little, but I never decided to take classes until my freshman year of high school. I was in classes for two years before doing my first AP Studio Art class my junior year; then I decided to do another class my senior year as well.

Q: What are your plans for the future? What are you doing now?

A: Currently I am attending The School of The Art Institute of Chicago, but I will be involving myself more in architecture, the field where I want to be eventually.