Allison Kim has always enjoyed drawing and art. She was drawn to and said that art always came naturally to her. Now, a senior, Kim is working to hone her skills and reach her goal of being accepted into the Rhode Island School of Design. She uses oil paint and said she likes adding 3-D elements to her paintings, as well as expanding her abilities by learning ceramics. Through her art, Kim said she works toward conveying emotions and displaying her talent. 

“A lot of my artwork is emotionally driven, depending on the time period [and] that [emotional] state,” Kim said. “I am really heavily influenced by my environment. [I’ll] go to my childhood or previous times to see and reflect how I would feel [in order to] bring out the emotion.”

When it comes to her style of art, Kim said she strives for semi-realism, as “it’s a fundamental way to show [a] technique very easily.” She also likes to experiment with abstract strokes and feels it is important to convey the emotions that are present in the piece.

“How you paint the facial features and emotion through [aspects such as] the eyes or eyebrows can really change the whole image [and] feeling of the piece,” Kim said.

Kim said she is very grateful for the support she has had along the way, from her mom to her art teachers. Kim has been a student of art teacher Jen Russell since her sophomore year. 

“More recently, she’s dug deeper than I expected her to or that I even asked her to,”  Russell said. “Her portfolio took me by surprise because I didn’t think that she would go to [such] a vulnerable place, and she did. That was really awesome to see, especially coming out of a 17-year-old kid.” 

Russell and Caleb Jacks are both former art teachers of hers, Jacks formerly taught her in middle school. Both said Kim has gotten technically better in her work and taken strides creatively since they first met her. 

“Her progress since I started teaching her has been tremendous,” Jacks said. “I mean, she [was] already talented, but just [seeing] her work on her techniques and process of artmaking. She’s so prepared and ready for the college world of art [compared to] her eighth-grade year. It’s a huge leap.” 

Kim has continued to grow throughout her journey as an artist, and said she plans to continue doing art after high school as she has found her calling.

“Art has helped me find my identity by just letting me express myself,” Kim said. “I know some people write about their feelings [in] a diary or talk to people, but [art] was the easiest way for me to really de-stress and reflect on what I’m feeling. Through every painting I’m [creating], I feel like that helps me secure my identity.”