Sofia Siano

Interviewed by Alexandra Maslen

Grade

12

Medium

Metal Arts, Oil

Classes Taken at Harriton

Metals 1, Studio Art 1, Metals 3, Art 2H, AP 2-D Art and Design

Interview

Art Focused Questions:

Okay, so if you could introduce yourself very quickly.

My name is Sophia Siano. I am a 12th grader at Harriton High School, and as an artist, I don't know, I just consider myself a very creative person.

Do you have a specific media you prefer over others?

I love to paint, but in school, I mainly take photography classes.

What about painting? Which mediums do you use?

Just acrylic. I mainly paint for fun. And then I've worked in pastel and charcoal before, but it's not my favorite.

What were your experiences working with photography and paint ?

I've always loved to take photos. I have a camera and I love to take photos. It was really nice being able to take photo classes in school and being able to use school time to do something fun and creative.

Do you plan a lot of the photos you do or is it more of a in the moment?

I love to like plan super creative projects. I did this one project where I did a product photography for cookies and I planned the whole thing ahead of time and got really creative with it. The planning process is my favorite part.

I guess asking you what your favorite tool is a bit redundant. It's probably a camera. I don't know much about camera types, but is there a specific one you like?

I mean, the digital SLRs that we use at school are really nice. I'm not quite sure how to use them fully, but it's OK. Ms. Whitman's very nice in helping me figure it out

What do you think are your strengths and weaknesses as an artist?

I think my strengths are honestly, what we just talked about - the planning process, I'm really good at fleshing out creative ideas, but the execution or actually shooting? I always like to put it off. But I'm really great at thinking about what to do and like really creative ideas. I also like to help my classmates. If they need help, I'm there.

Do you have any favorite artists?

Oh, gosh. Oh, wait. I feel like I do. I'll get back to you on that one, because I definitely do, but I cannot remember the name for the life of me. But I love... oh, Degas! That's what it was. I love Degas. I love impressionists. Yeah, Degas, his paintings, like the Moulin Rouge are amazing. I dance ballet, so it's always like I've had a connection to that.

Do you think your photos and paintings have a certain theme?

I mean, I like to switch it up. I like to keep my photography very clean, but I don't know if it overall has a theme. I like to shoot anything and anywhere

Would you say any of them are inspired by personal experiences, or are they more just pretty looking.

Yeah, it depends on the project. I just did a project where I brought my camera backstage at my most recent like dance performance and I took a bunch of photos of my friends dancing from backstage which ended up being a really nice project. So some of them are in the moment and some of them it just depends..

Have you ever depicted yourself in art? And how do you see yourself in art?

Yeah, I've... I did a project of pictures of myself in my bedroom at different times of the day, which is really fun to do. I tape my camera to my ceiling and I take photos of myself, but I don't often take pictures, like self-portraits, but that's the only time I've taken a picture of myself

What do you think about art for the future? Do you have any goals?

Well, I'm going to art school next year, so I'm excited to learn more about that. My foundations courses will be more towards painting and drawing and stuff I really haven't gotten into too much. Especially because I haven't taken too many classic art classes like here at Harriton. So, I'm excited to like explore a couple more mediums.

And like any advice for future artists?

Have fun. I don't know. Don't stress about it. It's art. I'm going to school for art so I've always like had like a passion for it, I guess, but I think it's always something fun, which is why I chose it. I didn't want to go to school and be bored, so I wanted to do something that I'm really passionate about and that I can see myself having fun with. So, yeah.

Speed Round:

Favorite food?

Spaghetti.

Favorite drink?

Iced tea.

Favorite restaurant?

Oh, Shake Shack.

Favorite ice cream topping?

Cocoa syrup.

Animal?

Octopus.

Favorite song?

Take a Bite bebeabadoobee.

Favorite color?

Pink.

TV show?

Friends.

Hobby?

Dancing.

And favorite book?

Summer I turned Pretty.