Artist Profile: Melissa Untch
In Melissa Untch's house, the walls are hung with paintings
by her grandmother, an accomplished artist. So, it is not surprising that Melissa's older
sister is in art education, her brother, who studied illustration, is graduating from
Kansas City Art Institute, and her younger sister, although not a visual artist, is a
musician. The influence and support of her parents, brothers, and sisters can not be overestimated. Melissa, the seventh of ten children, has always been interested in art and wanted to be an art teacher like her older sister. Now a senior at Liberty High School in Liberty, Missouri, she is leaning more toward illustration and animation, and will attend Kansas City Art Institute, like her brother.
Melissa characterizes her AP Studio Art experience as "expansive" because she was required to explore different creative techniques and materials in executing assignments. For her AP Drawing Portfolio, completed in her junior year, Melissa included drawings of tools and portraits in charcoal, tempera paint, and India ink. After each project, art teacher Debra Payne guided the class in a constructive critique of their efforts: "What works in this particular piece, and why?" "What could be done to make that one better?"
At this point in her artistic studies, Melissa, crediting her AP Studio Art teacher for motivating artistic explorations, uses both realistic and abstract approaches in her pieces and likes to experiment with different styles. This year, she is continuing her artistic adventures by taking Advanced Drawing and Painting, Artistic Photography, and -- one more time -- AP Studio Art.