Kaitlyn Park has been in love with art for as long as she can remember and it's seen through the quality of her work. Editor Sophia Jaeger sat down with Park to talk about what arts means to her and where she sees it taking her in the future.
SJ: What is art to you?
KP: It's somewhere I can express how I feel without having to, talk or anything, just where I put my thoughts and my ideas. If I put on the paper, even if it's not, good or anything,
SJ: What hooked you on art?
KP: I've always kind of done it. But it was kinda like in eighth grade where my mom had gotten me this book to like, draw Faces and stuff where I really got more into it.
SJ: Where did you start as an artist?
KP: My eighth grade sketch books are so funny to look back on. Because its just like Id practice like eyes and noses and mouths and just the way I drew them I just cant with that. Its kinda funny looking back on them because I used to think they were so good. I kinda look at it later on and it just looks sad.
SJ: What's your favorite style of art?
KP: I like realism, I like to capture what things are.
SJ:Do you tend to use symbolism in your work?
KP: I tend to use a lot of things that represent myself, or things that I love in each work, like, I usually use a lot of water, and then like an octopus is, my spirit animal and I tend to do tentacles and stuff like that.
SJ: Why do you relate to octopi?
KP: I don't know octopus, their just cool because there’s this thing where some octopus eat their arms when they're stressed. I'm just like, wow I really feel that, you know. And just like the way they look, they’re so cool.
SJ: What is one of your favorite pieces you've created.
KP: My self portrait from last year. That's the one that i'm most proud of. Because the skill in it and just the meaning behind it. Like theres two different meanings. One thing is like i'm kind of afraid of deep water because I can't swim. I mean I can can do a mean doggy paddle but if I treaded water I just can't. So it's kind of like the deep water and what's lurking beneath. You can also take the painting and like twist it to, how you feel on the inside like dragged down. Just life in general, we all go through things. In the painting you can see it as me like being dragged up like, i'm fighting the water, or that I’m like, going down So I feel you can interpret it either way.
SJ: Where do you see art taking you in the future?
KP: I want to have a little online shop with paintings and all that. But then I also want to do something else with it. Like I've thought about doing art therapy and stuff. I just want to be able to help people.
SJ: How can art help others?
KP: I feel like you all can relate to something and like paintings, everyone interprets differently. So even though you see a painting one way someone else might see it another way and it might bring them up.
SJ: Is this something you see yourself continuing to pursue?
KP: I hope so. I've been doing this my entire high school career. I've been focusing art so I don't think there is gonna be a change in that.