Foran is home to many talented students that have a strong passion for creating. Whether it is digital or traditional, there is an extremely talented art community present at our school. Thanks to teachers like Ms. Meghan Hudson, Mrs. Emily Plude, and Mr. Chi over the four years of high school these artists have been able to create amazing works, both inside and outside of art classes. Below are some of the artist’s most powerful pieces.

Marguerite Colette started photography her freshman year. She created this piece to honor her great-uncle who went MIA in the Vietnam War. Her brother is named after him and his hand is on her uncle’s name on the Vietnam War Memorial Wall in the picture. She explains, “I am proud of this piece because of the message behind it. When I showed it to my dad, he was so excited to show it to the rest of his family and friends. I try to tell a story in all the pieces I create.  Her favorite thing that she learned about art here at Foran is that you don’t have to be good at drawing or painting to be a “good” artist. She has some advice for other artists out there, “Do not let your fear of embarrassment hold you back. Explore different methods or mediums even if you think you would not be good at it.”

     Deanna Dempsey used a Canon T5 camera to create this digital piece of art. Her passion for animal photography and love for interacting with the animals while photographing them pushed her to create this photo. She is proud of it because “when the tiger looks directly into the camera it creates art that is so attention-grabbing.” She loves photography and graphic design. She tells what Foran taught her, “Something I learned that will always stick with me is that art is viewed from your point of view and it is how you feel about it, no one can define your art.

 Trevanna Kandrach learned in high school that, “Art is subjective. As long as you feel proud of it, that is all that matters.” She created this piece this year with a Nikon 3500 and is proud of it because “It represents an internal struggle (pressure) that I think many people can relate to and be brought together by.” She started truly practicing and learning new techniques in her freshman year of highschool and has been growing ever since. She says, “I push myself to grow as an artist with every photo I take.” Her advice is simply to not be afraid to make mistakes!

Jennifer Kirk is a devout artist who practices a lot outside of Joseph A. Foran High. She has her own business and documents her journey on her Instagram art page @greengoat. She describes her feelings for this piece, “ I love this piece because it was kind of a turning point in my style; it carries so much more energy than any of my pieces beforehand and it kind of marked a whole new color palette for me.” She used chalk pastel and noted that it is her favorite medium because it’s really malleable. She also feels as though it makes her unique due to the fact that not many artists specialize in it the way she does. A moment that really clicked for her during high school was when she was essentially told I had potential but that I was not meeting it. It motivated her to this day. She wants to tell other artists, “Imposter syndrome is really, really harmful. Everyone hates their own art, but when you show somebody a piece, don’t lead in with ‘this is really bad but…’ because then they’ll be forced to notice the flaws. Let them decide for themselves if they like it.”

Anthony Ljuldjurovic created this piece this year through digital photography and photoshop. He has been making art since he was 5 years old. He believes his art is unique because it is unconventional, it represents what is inside his mind and it is made for himself rather than for others. His advice is to do the same, “Create what you want and expand upon your own desires. Don’t compare your art to others and focus on expanding your own unique style and skill set.” He is proud of this piece because “…it represents the internal struggle that I’ve had with my appearance. It showcases both beauty and ferocity despite the fact that it may not be apparent initially.” At Foran he learned that art does not need to look beautiful to look at in order to be beautiful, there is beauty in the ugly. 

Isabela Meade goes to the Educational Center for the Arts located in New Haven because of her love for the arts. She created this piece with graphite pencils for this year’s Mother’s Day. She is proud of this piece because she has only recently started doing portrait drawings and it looks really realistic. She says, “My art is unique because I tend to do my pieces all in one sitting rather than coming back to it as other artists do.” She started creating around 8 years old and has been hooked since, incorporating it into her daily life. She says, “I have learned that art does not have to be one dimensional.” Her is advice is, “…to break outside of your comfort zone and be create using your emotions.” 

        My most recent work to date, this is probably one of my all-time favorite pieces that I have created. I used oil pastel and acrylic paint and used mainly just my fingers to paint it. I’m proud of it because I tried something completely new to me and it awoke a new passion for art that has been dormant in me for a while now. I have been creating all my life, particularly serious since middle school, but when life gets in the way it’s easy to push the things you love aside. Foran has taught me that you do not have to have a certain plan or style when it comes to creating, anything goes! To any artists struggling with trying to be a specific kind of artist, I would say don’t worry about it, because you will find yourself along the way. There is no need to stress about creating pieces that carry a theme or have an underlying message.