A: This piece was inspired by my mother, Miriam, whose name is also the title of the work. It was developed from a collection of observations that I gathered over a couple months. 

For some time, I had felt that my work had diminished, so I began to put it off; I ignored it. The whole time my mom was pushing me to at least attempt some work, desperately trying to encourage me. I kept telling myself  I should work, but the mere sight of my studio only discouraged me further. I felt creatively paralyzed. College reviews started coming around, and I began to think about those months when I was upset and my mom's enormous effort to help me. I saw her at that time as a "guiding star," as cliched as that may sound. I decided to sit down and concentrate all my thoughts into a piece that I would make, and that's just what poured out. It turns out that her efforts weren't in vain.

This piece is "part of an on-going interest" in self-exploration and an appreciation of what I love and see as beautiful.

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

A: I used plaster, a person, latex, resin, fabric, and bible pages with glue. This was in the sculpture section.

Q: What particularly do you like about the artwork?

A: I like that it is a spontaneous expression of my appreciation, gratitude, relief, and happiness. I had never done this before.

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

A: Sewing the fabric was difficult; I can't sew very well. Also, the resin was a real challenge. It was difficult to control, it took incredibly long to dry, and it took even longer for the fumes to disappear.  While pouring it I remember almost passing out, or maybe I did.

Q: How did it fit into your AP course?

A: The assignment was to make a 3-D piece; it was left very open. I was very impressed by a lot of the work that students did for that assignment.

Q: Did you study art long before taking AP?

A: I took the AP course in my senior year. Before that, I went to New World, a magnet art school, for two years.

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

A: Now, I’m at the Kansas City Art Institute; it’s wonderful. Next semester I'll go into the photo/new media department. After that, I'd like to go into the graduate program in film at the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, CA.