Strokes of green, yellow and blue define seaweed and fish in an underwater dreamscape, but the attention is drawn to the center of the art piece. A baby and her mother lie peacefully on the ocean ground, displaying the innocence and wonder associated with childhood.
Joy Wei, who transferred to the school as a junior this year, is finding a place in the community by working on her thematic portfolio in her Advanced Placement Art and Design class. Wei’s pieces are centered on humans and underwater life, which allows her to dive deeper into the complexities of the relationship between humans and the ocean in her paintings.
Wei said that for her ongoing portfolio, she is trying to capture how people look at and interact with the ocean. Through her art, Wei hopes to evoke strong emotions from viewers.
“If I’m doing a piece about, maybe pollution or overfishing or how the environment is deteriorating, I want them to feel this sense of concern, this urgency, and I try to get that across with the colors and the decisions that I’m making in my composition,” Wei said.
AP Art and Design teacher Liz Brennan said that Wei demonstrates not only her desire to incorporate meaning into her work but also her strong ability in painting. According to Brennan, Wei is open to hearing feedback from her classmates.
“She really listens to what they say about her work, and then, in turn, she’s very, very supportive of her classmates and gives valuable feedback,” Brennan said.
Brennan said AP Art and Design is a big time commitment and requires as much time as any other AP class. Besides just dedicating hours to developing her artwork, Wei enjoys the class and has found a place in its community.
“Right now, I just feel like everyone is super encouraging. There’s not a sense of ‘I need to compete with you, I feel envious of this or that.’ It’s actually a pretty big change for my old school, and I feel like everyone is more in community with each other,” Wei said.
Senior Maria Udalova, Wei’s former classmate in AP Art and Design, said Wei is very talented, especially in her understanding of color and depth. According to Udalova, Wei portrays her aquatic theme clearly, while also incorporating deeper meaning into her art.
“It’s not just fishes, it’s actual concepts, but then the aquatic life is threaded throughout which I think is super impressive,” Udalova said.
Wei said that the art she creates is secondary to the idea she attempts to capture, but it’s also important that her paintings are open for the interpretation of the viewer.
“Sometimes, it’s hard trying to make it more subtle, because I don’t want to scream it in the viewer’s face,” Wei said. “Everyone should have their different interpretations of what the art means. For me, I decide to bring in some subtle details so viewers can come to their own conclusion about what I’m trying to say.”
Wei said that she fell in love with art at a young age and has since used it as an outlet for her feelings and ideas. According to Wei, her talent for and connection to art has also led her to win multiple awards in art competitions.
“It gives me a really big sense of confidence, just because it’s a way I can express myself through something that I feel confident in doing,” Wei said. “Just talking doesn’t always come easy to me, but painting does, and that’s something that makes me feel more confident about expressing myself.”
