By MOLLY WALLACE
Salvador Dali has become the face of surrealism to all those interested in such an art form and an inspiration to senior Alexis Mauerman’s work, which models Dali’s.
Mauerman is currently an Advanced Placement Art student but has taken all visual art classes on campus. She claims the classes provide room to explore but enough structure from teachers to allow new forms of medium, like transferring and watercoloring, and subjects to be learned.
“My favorite part of art expression is being able to explore different mediums, seeing in other people’s minds and broadening my own,” Mauerman said.
As Mauerman works, she focuses on producing what is envisioned in her mind, so she can communicate it to others. She works with painting, drawing and transferring, which are just a few of the multiple mediums art allows one to use.
Mauerman believes that in a broader aspect there is a connection to art and faith, letting one be appreciative of what is offered in the world.
“In a religious aspect, [art shows] how much skill and knowledge it took God to create the universe,” Mauerman said.
Her favorite piece, focused on debt, shows an image of a car driving off a cliff, with a lady jumping out of the car with a parachute, into dinosaurs, which represent the materialistic debt going into extinction. This transfer piece includes watercolors to create the skyline and canyon, and sketching to create shadows on the mountains and dinosaurs.
Mauerman plans on pursuing engineering, but wants to remain active in her art. She claims that sometimes hobbies are meant to be hobbies, but art provides a feeling of satisfaction because it has something to show for the work it produces.
“I like my art because it’s something I create,” Mauerman said. “It’s like my baby, and of course you’re going to love your baby.”
Robert Shaffer, senior, laughs as he explains his love and inspiration for taking pictures of fire trucks and photographer teacher Perry Allen’s hate of it.
“I am sort of patriotic, and I have an interest in fire trucks,” Shaffer said. “My grandpa was a bomb pilot, and that’s why I became patriotic.”
His grandfather’s past, and his love for America, gave inspiration to Schaffer’s favorite piece, a picture of a B-42 Bomber. This is a panoramic picture was taken in the daytime. He combined multiple pictures in layers to see the B-42 bomber head on.
His artistic talent stretches beyond photo and into band, so Shaffer claims that his love and effort for art allow him to excel in photographing.
“I think my work is good because I enjoy going out and taking pictures. Especially at night because of the different effects,” Shaffer said.
Shaffer’s decision to take photos came from his want to be an engineer, the fact that he was already in band and looking to challenge his artistic ability and the belief that taking pictures will help solve problems engineers face.
“I want to be an engineer and you sometimes have to change what to do to make it work,” Shaffer said. “In photo, you learn to change angles to produce a new idea.”
With plans to be an engineer, Mauerman and Shaffer both plan on using art techniques in their future workplace.
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