Art had always been a “fascination” for Callie Rojewski. Seeing other people “pick up a pencil and draw something cool” had been an envy of hers, but never something she tried.
Until 9th grade that is, the year she finally took art as a major and began “drawing something cool” on her own.
“In 9th grade I took art major, and had a great teacher who inspired me to develop my own artistic style and my interest in art has only increased since,” said Rojewski.
After majoring in art during 9th grade, Rojewski continued with art at the high school level, taking classes such as Art I, Portfolio Prep, and AP Studio Art.
“So far I have to say AP Art is my favorite class. It is a lot of hard work, but I love every second of it. I especially love what we are working on now, the concentration part,” said Rojewski of her favorite art class.
Rojewski then went on to explain: “A concentration is a collection of art by an artist with a certain theme, and we have until the beginning of May to finish our collections, which will include 12 pieces. I decided to focus my concentration on life and fashion throughout the decades. We have to work fast to finish all of our pieces, which is challenging, but it is also rewarding watching my efforts turn into a piece of art.”
Not only did Rojewski find her favorite class during her senior year, she created some of her favorite art pieces, as well. “My favorite pieces so far I have done this year. I am really proud of the self-portrait I did where I made myself into a mermaid. It was my first time enhancing a painting by collaging things onto it, and I think it turned out really successful. Doing the mermaid piece inspired me to experiment with collaging for concentration pieces, and I particularly like the way my 1920s era one and my Victorian era piece turned out.”
Though mostly inspired by friends, family, personal experiences, and future plans, Rojewski also enjoys doing pieces that relate to ocean scenes.
“The beach is where I would be all the time if I could,” Rojewski said. “I also like doing portraits and figure drawings to show expression.”
As to her favorite style of art, Rojewski had this to say: “I have always been a fan of impressionism, but right now I love graphic design and the whole concept of creating artwork on the computer. I’m still saving up to buy myself Photoshop, but I am hoping that will be the next medium I’ll experiment with.”
As a senior, Rojewski will have the opportunity to display her art on a full wall during the end of the year art show–something she has loved seeing since elementary school.
“I have loved coming to the art show since elementary school and checking out those walls, and now this year I’ll be able to display my own artwork on them,” she said.
Rojewski left us with these parting words: “One thing I have learned about art is that it truly is something anyone can learn how to do. Anyone can learn how to draw or paint a picture realistically, but creativity is something you have to bring on your own, which is the fun part. Seeing how everyone expresses themselves differently is one of the things I love most about art.”