Madeline Rogers coats her paintbrush with a mixture of yellow acrylic paint and water and brushes it across a stark white canvas. She builds up a layer of diluted yellow to create a wash, a semi-transparent layer of color, in the hopes that the warm glow it creates on the canvas will carry over into her final piece. With each stroke of the brush, she builds up the foundations of a painting that will be reviewed by numerous art schools.
Rogers is a senior who has carried a passion for art her entire life. From her elementary school days, where she was known as “the art girl,” to the present, where she is busy applying to art schools and programs, art has been crucial to her identity. When Rogers was young, art served as both an escape and a connection to the world around her. She created comic strips with friends and made art for her teachers, but the endless drawings she made also allowed her to journey through her imagination by herself. “I was a really shy kid,” Rogers said. “I didn’t have a lot of friends, so I kind of used art as a way to escape into my own world.”
Although she is not the shy kid she used to be, Rogers still uses art as an outlet. Her favorite medium to work with is paint, especially acrylic and gouache, because she finds ease in layering and making changes with those types of paint. These days, her favorite thing to create is paintings of people. “I’m very inspired by the female form, just feminine beauty. That’s a theme that happens in my work. I also like to tell stories with my paintings and with my pieces,” she remarked.
As someone who would like to pursue a career in art, Rogers has been working on applying to art schools and programs. In addition to essays, they all require an art portfolio uniquely catered to their preferences. Some schools require a dozen pieces, while others would like to see twenty. Some would like to see sketchbook pages, while others only want professional-looking traditional art. With specific requirements for each school, the process of applying can be grueling. Rogers explained, “It’s hard. It’s really hard. If you aren’t motivated, if you aren’t really really wanting it, then you won’t be able to do it.”
In order to help her craft a portfolio, Rogers attended a three-week portfolio developmental program at Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) Arts over the summer. As part of the program, she drew sketches of live models, tried different media, and underwent a portfolio review with an admissions representative. Ultimately, she created around eight finished pieces to include in her portfolio. The highlight of the experience, though, was the people she met who share her passion for art. Kenzie Fisher, a student at Deep Run High School in Glen Allen, Virginia, attended the VCU Arts program over the summer with Rogers. Fisher expressed, “The final showcase at the Anderson Gallery was amazing, and it was so great to see what my friends like Madeline had made over the three weeks in downtown Richmond. I’m so proud of Madeline and all she has accomplished with her art.”
Once she has all her applications in, Rogers is excited to shift focus to her AP Art portfolio. Although she has not finalized the theme for it yet, she is leaning toward doing something about film. She grew up watching old black-and-white movies with her parents, and credits movies as something that helped build her personality. Mr. Geoff Demark, who teaches AP Art, is excited to see what Rogers does with her portfolio. “As an artist, she also has, without sounding too corny, a joy about her. She doesn’t seem to get frustrated. She seems to approach her art openly and fluently and is open to her results,” he stated.
Rogers is applying to art schools and programs as an illustration major, but she is interested in a variety of fields in the art industry. Currently, she sees her future self as an illustrator, graphic designer, or product designer. While she awaits college acceptances and continues to make pieces for her AP Art class, Rogers is excited to keep creating and telling stories with her work.