A.P Draw, Paint, Print Senior Spotlight Interview: Naiya Cheanvechai

The AP Drawing Portfolio is a highly intensive studio course, requiring students to produce art at the college level. Students compile a portfolio of 15-20 original artworks demonstrating mastery in composition, technique, and concept. They pursue the WHY behind their own artistic process and participate in weekly critiques of classmates’ work, as well as submit completed pieces approximately every two weeks. Be sure to mark your calendar for the Senior AP Art Portfolio Show in the Berg Gallery on the evening of April 24.

When Nayia began art in Draw, Paint, and Print class  four years ago, instructor Rebecca Hoadley noticed how bright, inquisitive, and artistic Naiya was. “It was clear she had always enjoyed art! Each art piece was made with care, and a vivacious spirit,” said Ms. Hoadley. “Her graphite drawings that have developed a breathtaking glow. They hold a nostalgia, detail, precision, and love. Looking at her artwork, the viewer is left with a sense of wonder and happiness. It is like getting a glimpse of the joy that Naiya herself has experienced with friends and family over the past few years. She has captured those moments in graphite, on bright white paper. They are almost like time capsules of her life for us to discover and enjoy.” Naiya’s artwork has consistently been hung in each gallery space on campus.

Naiya, what is the central idea of your concentration?

The central idea of my concentration is to capture little “needle in the haystack” moments throughout high school that have subtly influenced my life. I have chosen monochromatic mediums such as graphite and charcoal to give these moments the same feel as a memory.

How the idea has evolved over the year?

I started the year wanting to capture un-posed and untouched pictures of people. However I didn’t feel a personal connection to this idea as I began the process. That’s when I transitioned into drawing pictures that were taken during moments throughout my high school experiences.

Can you explain your artistic process? Where do you gain inspiration? 

I gain inspiration from the important people in my life. I choose pictures that are not necessarily the stereotypical vision of “important”, but the pictures that have important significance to me. Whenever I draw, I start with the face. I like to envision the emotions that come with the drawings, because that’s what motivates me to continue with my piece.

What do you hope the viewer to see in your artwork? 

I want the viewer to see the emotion in my drawings. I hope that it can take them back to similar memories and evoke something inside of them. I’ve been drawing for as long as I can remember, but it wasn’t until last year that I truly started making my own work. I think it was the moment when I stopped feeling like my art was an assignment, and started feeling like it was something I wanted, and even needed, to do.