AP Art students are currently working on their art concentrations, topics which they have chosen to incorporate in their art pieces throughout the year.

“We get two weeks to finish each piece,” senior Maya Gulassa said. “That’s not a whole lot of time to create a well made piece.”

Students must complete 12 art pieces related to their concentration by the end of the year for review.

“It [gives] a taste for what the actual gallery art world would be like,” Gulassa said. “It’s also extremely challenging to find a theme and create twelve cohesive pieces surrounding that theme.”

Choosing an art concentration tests the students’ abilities to express themselves through various mediums.

“I think that having a concentration helps students really develop certain art techniques and really take ownership over their work,” senior Anna Sanford said.

Senior Miles Lee has a similar response to the idea of having an art concentration.

“I like the art concentration because it allows students to develop an idea in their artwork over time as well as their technical ability in the medium of choice,” Lee said.

Lee’s concentration involves geometric imagery and digital photo-manipulation.

“I like the way the predictable nature of geometry meshes with the abstract elements of the photos I use,” Lee said.

Students have the freedom to choose the mediums for their art pieces, ranging from collages of recycled materials to photography.

“Working within the boundaries of this concentration is really nice, because it gives us freedom with some form of direction and really pushes us to be creative and explore new things,” said senior Eric Wen.

Gulassa points out difficulties with picking a concentration.

“A con of a concentration is finding something you like enough to do to be able to not get bored all year,” Gulassa said.

AP Art concentrations can either focus on a particular medium or have a common subject matter.

“I picked scenes from the Bible,” senior Leslie Zhang said. “I have always been interested in Christian art forms, and I wanted to do an abstract representation.”

Students have managed to keep up with the deadlines for art pieces, despite the time constraint.

“It’s a lot of work and it’s very fast paced, but the results are worth it,” Gulassa said.