"South Carolina"

This piece was done in graphite, and made for a project in my Honors Art lll class. It's 8"x8". I turned the shape of the sate South Carolina into their state animal, a Loggerhead Turtle. This piece is very important to me because going to the beach every summer with my cousins is very special to me. I didn't get to go the summer of 2023 and I was noticing that I kept drawing water, beaches, and turtles, until I noticed how much I actually missed it.

"Strings of Passion"

This is another project that I made for my Honors Art lll class. We created this prompt for our big art show that we do every year. It is all about our passions. The requirement was to create an anatomically correct heart that also expressed our passion. One of my biggest passions is music. I featured the four instruments that I play in my piece. I added the head of my guitar (top, middle, yellow), the neck of my ukulele (middle purple tube), the bow of my violin (middle/right, green, vertical), and some keys of the piano (edge/far right, pink). I even added the engraved design that's around the sound hole on my ukulele, around the heart itself. The background is filled with sheet music of classical pieces that I have already learned to play or I'm learning right now. This piece is made from watercolor pens, and is 8"X10".

"A New View"

This is one of the more abstract pieces that I've done. This piece is 12"x18". This was inspired by a popular architecture style called Haussmann that is located in France. I take French, and so this piece is very special for me because I will be taking a trip to France that I've been dreaming of sense I was very young. I will finally be able to see it for myself. 

"The Beginning"

This was the first Bible verse based painting that I did. As hinted in the title, this painting is based off of Genesis 1:1, "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth". When I first read this, what I pictured was the heavens and the earth coming and joining together, and so that's what I went off of. This painting is about 10"x8", and is made from acrylic paint. 

"Спадщина:Heritage"

This painting was done in oil paints, and is 11"x14". This piece was done for a scholarship with a prompt of "Traveling with Purpose". My purpose in traveling was to reconnect with my heritage in Ukraine.

"Breeds of Life"

"Breeds of Life" was done mainly in acrylic paints. I also used a black colored pencil and lightly shaded the letters along with a black pen that I used to outline. The artwork is 12"x18". This piece was done for my Art lll class. Our prompt was typography and we had to make our own font with a theme. What really stands out about "Breeds of Life" is that each letter is a different horse breed that starts with the corresponding letter. 

"Comfort Zone"

This piece consists of two canvases screwed together and painted with acrylic paints. The artwork is 19"x31". This piece was done for my Art lll class. Our prompt was our favorite corner in the world. We were challenged to use 2-Point Perspective by eye. We were also not allowed to use a ruler. This painting is of Firestone Equestrian Barn and it means the world to me. I chose it as my favorite corner because it has been a stable place throughout my entire life that always brings me joy and comfort. To share that feeling, I used many rich warm colors and a few touches of dark blue to create that feeling along with lots of depth.

"Vigorous Monaco"

"Vigorous Monico" started as a monoprint. Then I had to paint over it. I took this picture of an alleyway in Monico on my France trip over the summer of 2024. Our unit was over monoprinting. We learned how to use jelly plates and were pushed to create a balanced painting over the top of the monoprint. I started with really watered-down acrylic paint and slowly did layers over top adding less and less water until I used the original paint from the bottle (no water at all). The original monoprint had a big pattern of a flower and it got lost over time with the painting on top. Because of this, I decided to take a colored pencil and the original stencil and retrace the flower on top of the painting. I also "scribbled" silhouettes of people so that it showed more of the movement and life that was in the picture. "Vigorous Monico" was done of acrylic paint and colored pencil and is 7.5"x9.5".

"Heart Horse"

"Heart Horse" started as a playing card. It is 2.5"x3.5", and done in acrylic paint. This was for my Art IV class and one of the requirements was that we had to have some form of a border, if you click on the image it will make it larger and you will be able to see the full artwork. We also had to let parts of the original card peak through our design so it is still clear that it is a playing card. This is another example of a more realistic piece that I've done. This was inspired once again by one of my largest passions-horses and riding.  This pony's name is Sandy. This piece is very special for me because I leased Sandy for about a year and did many shows with her. She recently became too old to continue competing with me. During this hard time, I did this painting and I dedicate it to her and all she has taught me and the love and joy she brought to my life.  

"Branches and Vines"

"Branches and Vines" was based on John 15:5, "I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing". While creating this piece in my Art IV class, we had to replace our heads and keep our bodies. During this unit, we learned about surrealism and as one of the requirements, we had to experiment with surrealism in our artwork. Another requirement was that we had to use wet media and for me, this meant acrylic paint.  This was inspired by my recent collection of bible verse paintings and one of my biggest passions, my faith. The media is acrylic paint, and it is 16"x20"

"Past, Present, Future"

"Past, Present, Future" was a legacy painting. Every year, Art 2 and Art 4 classes paint a ceiling tile in the art room. We had to show our past, present, and future. My life has always involved horses, and specifically Sandy (on the left). I grew up riding Sandy in my lessons, then leased her in highshowl which led to many shows and a county fair. Early spring, 2025, Sandy passed away from colic. We had an amazing bond that allowed the impossible to become possible. She was a lazy pony, but with me, we accomplished more than anyone could.  On the right is Tapanga, she is the horse I currently lease and show with (my present). Tapanga and I have grown so much in the past 6 months together, and we have many big goals ahead. For the future, we are walking forward together. My legacy is with Sandy, Tapanga, and whatever the future holds, full of growth and accomplishments.  The media is acrylic paint, and it is 24"x24"

"Palm Leaves"

"Palm Leaves" was a self-portrait for my Art 4 class. During this unit, we focused on ephemera, and a requirement for the assignment was to include 3 different types of ephemera. For the portrait, I needed to show the viewer who I am. Around the time of starting this, it was also Palm Sunday.  In the bible, palm leaves represent victory, triumph, peace, and eternal life. I took this meaning, as well as other verses and faithful words, and layered them throughout the piece.  This was inspired by who I am and my identity in Christ, and one of my biggest passions, my faith. The media is charcoal, and it is 11"x13"

"Unstill"

"Unstill" was a painting for my Art IV class. We were learning how to accurately draw/paint cylinders from extreme points of view. While sketching my proposals, I decided I wanted something in the background to also have lots of movement and contrast so that the highlights and deep shadows on the bottles stand out. So when putting this plan into effect, I used yellow and white paint and swirled it together with an old gift card to not only create movement, but also 3D texture. To fill the space, I used multiple bottles and glasses. While focusing on mechanics, exaggerations, and form, the objects began to look like they were free-falling.  This is how I got the idea to add the water spilling as well.  All of this together elevates the painting through non-local color, extreme contrast, and vivid movement. The media is acrylic paint, and it is 16"x 20"

"Dear Nathaniel"

"Dear Nathaniel" was a commision from my pastor and his wife who had requested that I do a painting of their youngest son with Jesus. "Dear Nathaniel" is based on the concept of Jesus's love and care for all children. I wanted to show an intimate relationship with Jesus, and that's why I put the little boy sitting in Jesus's lap, with His hands wrapped around the child.  You can also see that their eyes are closed and their faces are relaxed—this aids in giving the viewer the idea of peace and comfort. Placing the young boy's feet on top of Jesus's feet was also an important sign of support and love. The human brain subconsciously picks up on these little details, mimicking the emotion in themselves. This painting is a great example of how much meaning and attention to detail  I put into all of my pieces. The media is acrylic paint, and it is 20"x24"