By Daisy Morales, Features Editor
Bright reds, cool blues, dark greens, canary yellows and fuchsia pinks. Portraits with octopuses and artists. All of this is abstract art that senior Piper Allison loves to create.
“I’ve just always been really inspired by art and it’s always been like a little getaway from me,” Allison said.
Allison has always loved art, but she found her calling in painting about three years ago because it let her explore more artistic styles than just drawing. Along the way, she discovered that others also loved her art: Allison started selling her work after many of her peers told her she could make money as an artist. As a result, Allison created an Instagram account dedicated to showcasing many of her paintings for sale.
And her Instagram account has been a success – just this year, she has sold over 19 portraits.
“My favorite memory with art is when I first started posting it on my Instagram and I got four back-to-back offers to buy my paintings,” Allison said.
That end result is one small part of the step-by-step process Allison goes through when it comes to painting a portrait. She starts any canvas by going through a detailed thought process and pencil outline.
But sometimes it’s difficult to continue working, even for someone who loves painting as much as Allison does.
“I usually, more times than not, feel like I can’t finish a portrait,” Allison said. “When this happens, I put that specific painting away and go to the next one and if I decide to go back to it I will.”
In her paintings, Allison is able to transform the colors and hues of each piece, creating her own little world. Allison added that painting makes her feel free, like she can do anything.
“I have always enjoyed painting because there’s no right or wrong way to do it,” Allison said.
For Allison, inspiration comes in many forms. It might be scrolling through Pinterest or looking up to musical stars. Allison has featured many artists in her portraits, including Tupac, Mac Miller, Freddie Mercury and the Notorious B.I.G.
Each painting is a new adventure, hours and hours of hard work paying off.
“When I did Notorious B.I.G., that was my favorite. It turned out better than I expected it to,” Allison said. “I really loved it.”
Over the years, Allison’s artistic abilities have grown, something that many of her peers have noticed about her. Senior Kurt Felthousen has been with her for three classes and is currently in her Art IV class.
“I’ve seen her paint more and more over the summer and try out new color palettes, new techniques and style art painting,” Felthousen said.
Allison is able to use colors, shapes, forms and gestural marks to create something that explores ideas beyond the canvas. Something that stands out about abstract art is the fact that there are no rules, which Allison particularly enjoys.
Felthousen described Allison’s art as being special because not many people are able to create abstract art.
“Her art is really abstract and more unique, and uses brighter colors – colors you usually wouldn’t use with the subjects that she’s painting,” Felthousen said.
Art is something that Allison has always been passionate about. This is something that art teacher Alice Baldwin noticed since day one with Allison.
Art Teacher Alice Baldwin had Allison for Art III, and she is currently in her Art IV class as well as her Sculpture and Ceramics class. Next semester, Allison will be taking AP Art with Baldwin.
Baldwin is excited to see how Allison will transform her 2D art into something 3D in the Sculpture and Ceramics class.
“She’s naturally gifted, but she also puts a lot of time and effort into every skill that we grow,” Baldwin said. “You can tell Piper is full of creative energy.”
Baldwin believes that Allison connects her personality to the art she creates, making her art style unique.
“She pulls from everyday experiences so you can see a lot of her everyday life in her artwork,” Baldwin said. “I think that once you take the lens off the fact that art isn’t just something that hangs on the wall and art is in your everyday life, it really changes your perspective. Art is what you make it, not just what’s in a frame.”
Senior Daisy Morales can be reached at 23moralesda04@daretolearn.org.
