Noa Kailis

Interview by Doris Abdolian and Elly Dawson Transcribed by Elly Dawson

Grade

Mediums

2-D Art (painting, sketching, charcoal, printmaking, etc), Photography, Mixed Media

Classes Taken at Harriton

Art Studio 2, Film-Photo 1

Self Introduction

I am a hardworking devoted artist striving to achieve my full potential with every piece. I am always up for a challenge, and always working with new mediums and techniques to fully express myself.

Interview

What's your favorite medium to create with?

Pencil! I love my art pencils. I love to work with different shades of gray.

Are there any mediums you find yourself experimenting with more than others?

I am working to get out of my comfort zone and challenge myself. Right now, I am trying to work with charcoal. As much as I love and consider my pencils my everything, they consume a lot of time when I shade my work. I find that I can shade more in less time when I use charcoal.

What was it like working with charcoal?

It’s a lot of layering. When I draw hair in portraits, I need to do a lot of hatching. I also need to mix my darker and lighter charcoal pencils with a blending stick. I sometimes need to repeat this blending process over and over again to get the shade that I want. This repetition of mixing and blending takes a lot of effort and adds time to the whole process.

What’s an art style that you think is underrated?

Honestly, gouache paint. I feel like people do not give it enough appreciation. I recognize that it’s a really challenging material to work with. I once put wet down and tried to add a different color and they just began to blend together. This just didn’t look nice. Instead, I find that I like when gouache is used in a mixed media sense. If I'm trying to make a background with a different opacity, I'll use gouache and then go over it with markers, inks, or acrylics.

What other art styles are you interested in?

I'm really interested in art nouveau, it's always been a huge point of interest for me. The natural flow and shapes of plants and flowers always inspires me to get creative.

What was your introduction to Art?

I had started fairly recently, I took photography my freshman year, and did not take any sophomore year. My first actual drawing class is the one I'm taking right now (Studio Art 2) . I put together a portfolio and talked to Mr Nunez about wanting to join his studio art class and he recommended the studio art 2 class for me. I was basically able to self teach myself, and I've always had an eye for creative things whether it's paper crafts or anything, I've always been a crafty person. Once I was introduced to more art forms I fell in love with it.

What would you say to people just starting art? Who might be hesitant because they feel they don't have the foundation or years of practice behind them.

Technique is fairly simple to pick up, it's really all about passion and wanting to devote your time to it. It's not about how much experience you have, if you have that passion to do and put that time into it you'll succeed. Art doesn't have to be something you are fully devoted to and enveloped in. It can present itself in small ways, like doodles and sketches on the side of your paper. I would recommend just trying to incorporate small amounts of time into your schedule for practice, and as time goes by if it's something you are continuing to show interest in, try to make more and more time.

Who are your favorite visual artists? Why?

I like to look into a lot of floral art and mixed media. There is this one mixed media artist I follow where she’ll use physical objects and draw around them. She uses fashion a lot and will take cigarettes and use them as paints and then draw the body or flower petals for a skirt.

From where do you derive inspiration? How does that affect your artwork?

I derive inspiration from my struggles and the world around me. Whenever I am feeling low, I remind myself of the great things I have yet to accomplish with my artwork. The future possibilities of creation keep me motivated.

How do you see yourself working with more unconventional art tools?

I have a piece I am working on right now where I have a bunch of old keys that were probably for dressers in my old house, and I'm putting them on a string on the paper and then drawing around them. I am trying to expand my art, to really anything I can get my hands on.

What are you trying to say?

A lot of things, it depends on what the object is, I've done a lot of collage work and take certain words. Once I found a magazine about plastic surgery and took the words from that, the big heading words, and made a piece about how plastic surgery is taking away from originality and young girls. Not that I have anything against plastic surgery, just another perspective.

How do you see yourself through your art? Do you see yourself?

Yeah, a lot of the time I like to incorporate surrealism into my art. I'm not huge on hyper realism but I'm trying to get into it more, but I'll take small things from my personality and add them in.

How do you think your artistic journey will develop/evolve?

I am actually looking at a few art schools and even if it's not something I major in or pursue as a career I definitely want to keep working on, it brings me a lot of joy. I have started a portfolio already for my application as I am a junior.

What is your sustained investigation/ thematic exploration? What common themes do you use in your work for non-AP/IB students?

I commonly use floral designs and themes in my work.

Now for less art focused questions, what’s your taste in music and/or what do you listen to while you’re creating?

My favorite artist to listen to while creating is Fiona Apple.

Favorite high school memory?

Probably my first film photo class was my first art class at Harriton. I met a lot of cool people in that class. That was my first class, the first day of freshman year and I met a lot of people who I am still close with.

What has been the best part of your junior year?

The idea of college is pretty nice because it's like a big moment, gotta keep my grades up.

What are the clubs or electives you participate in/take at Harriton?

Zenith obviously, I had tried to sign up for an art club and will try to go to some of the meetings next year.

Favorite place in the Philadelphia area?

Center city!

Favorite social media platform?

If you could be anything/anyone, who would you be? Why?

Fiona Apple, I’m pretty sure she’s self taught as well. In my eyes Fiona Apple is a goddess. She's just so talented and I love her.

If you could have one wish granted by a magical being, what would it be and why?

Unlimited gouache paint… I run out too quickly.

Finally for the Speed Round: