For Sophia Kressy ’15, drawing and painting have allowed her to express herself in a variety of ways.
Kressy has taken Drawing and Painting Intensive for three years and recently took the electives Photo, Ceramics, Wheel Throwing, and Metals.
Her passion for painting and drawing began at a young age; however, Kressy is not certain when it started exactly. “[Learning to love] painting is like falling in love,” she said. “You don’t know when it happens; it just does.”
Kressy’s ongoing devotion to art has allowed her to grow as an artist. “When you love something, you want to be good at it, and you practice it a lot and in turn become really good at it.”
Years of practice have paid off for Kressy. She received a Gold Key, the highest honor, last year in the Boston Scholastic Art Competition for her watercolor piece of a taxicab. She also won a silver key in 7th and 10th grade for her drawing graphic. The Boston Scholastic Art Competition is a recognition program for teens living in Massachusetts. Many students from Wellesley partake in this competition, but few win as many years as Kressy.
Her teacher, Brian Reddy, credits her success to her work method. “[She] doesn’t put too much pressure on herself or take her art too seriously,” he said. “This allows her to tap into a sense of play and make many of her pieces playful.”
Her fascination with the process of drawing and painting has cultivated Kressy’s love for creating artwork. “There is no pressure to make it realistic,” she said. “You also don’t [need to] know what you’re making until you do it, so there is no processing.”
Peers and teachers find that Kressy’s passion for art goes beyond just creating it to spreading her wisdom of it. “[She] is very willing to share her knowledge with others in order for them to achieve,” said classmate Sami Rubin ’16. “She is also very dedicated and spends all of her free time focused on her art to make it as good as possible.”
While she is still deciding what exactly she wants to do beyond high school, Kressy guarantees she will incorporate her passion for art in some aspect.
(Celia Golod ’17, Photo Editor)