AP Portfolio Spotlight: Margaux Forsbrand ’21

A.P Draw, Paint, Print Senior Spotlight Interview: Margaux Forsbrand ’21

The AP Drawing Portfolio is an intensive 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.

What is the central idea of your concentration?

What I would like for people to grasp while looking at my artwork is that so many people make up the person you are today and who you will be in the future.

How does your work demonstrate the exploration of your idea?

My artwork has parts of different people’s faces and they, in the end, will fit together to make a dynamic face.

How has the idea evolved over the years?

I first started out junior year with a painting of my friend’s younger sister with a colorful background and words she thought described her. This evolved into a more mature and concise idea that I have been working on throughout my senior year.

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

I gain inspiration from all of the beautiful people around me that give me motivation and love. I start out by cropping the photos and putting them in black and white to capture the gray scale. Then I go ahead with a tortillon and sketch out the face. After I finish the details, I add some paint on the background to express their emotion and vibe.

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

I hope that it gives them an opportunity to remember all the people that have impacted them throughout their life and gives them an extra appreciation for them.

How long have you been making art? And when did you start to feel independent and like you were truly making your own work?

I have been making art my whole life but I really gained independence and understanding my senior year. This year has been such an amazing experience and opportunity to improve on my art along with my main idea of my concentration.