Scholastics Candidate: Alex Reyes

Artist Statement:

When I began putting together this portfolio, I wanted it to contain a diversity of pieces that didn’t necessarily stick to a certain theme. However, one element that did remain constant among all my pieces was that they all portray emotion. Basically, I was feeling at the time the piece that was created had a great effect on the final outcome. For example, the “Scream” and “Mind Control” pieces were created at the beginning of this year when college applications and test scores left me seriously frustrated.

Prior to this year, I had only used Photoshop as a photo editing tool. All the pieces I had made were all very dependent on photo sources. In my current work, I took a risk by experimenting with more illustrative and graphic design elements. I believe this really paid off, and took my work to a whole new level. Throughout the creation process of these pieces, I really learned how to incorporate both styles into my pieces. I enjoyed working with Photoshop to create these pieces because it’s very versatile. I used to think Photoshop was just a photo editing software, now I know it can be used as an expressive medium to create just about anything from scratch.

I selected the pieces for this portfolio because I believe they show a variety of the types of pieces I have made. I hope that people are able to enjoy my pieces and understand how I was feeling at the time that I made them. Personally, I think that an observer can share a bond with the artist through any piece, if they are able to experience the same thoughts as the artist had while he/she created it. I keep these pieces as a type of journal, showing my thoughts and feelings during the times they were made. -Alex Reyes