Beatriz Queiroz Cueva

Does your art connect to or take inspiration from any past or present art styles, techniques, or traditions? If yes, how?

My whole portfolio was inspired by film and cinematic techniques. I was really focused on the angles and editing that would convey the feeling of watching a movie, as my investigation was, “How can cinematic techniques inspire the storytelling and mood in my art?”

What steps did you take to begin this artwork, and how did you develop it as you worked?

While I always had an idea in mind of what I wanted my investigation to be about, sometimes showing it in my art and coming up with the ideas for each artwork felt difficult, since art is so subjective and there are many ways to convey different feelings. Since my investigation was about film, I knew I had to explore photography and editing. For this picture, specifically, I just happened to take it one night in Boston and thought this urban landscape looked straight out of a movie. I took different pictures from different angles. When I went back to edit them, this was the one that called out to me.

What kinds of practice or experimentation helped you explore materials, techniques, or approaches in your work?

While editing, I would test out different saturations and tones until I found the right one for the picture. This, along with many other photos in my portfolio, is cropped horizontally to really show the techniques used in film, such as long shots, and convey the feeling of watching a movie on a wide screen.

What lessons, assignments, or classroom activities helped you gain new ideas or understand processes that shaped your portfolio?

One assignment that really helped me understand how I wanted my portfolio to look like visually was the one where we created mood boards for our Sustained Investigations. There, I was able to figure out the color scheme, find some photographers’ works that I was inspired by, and find many of the concepts that I wanted to explore. I did some research on the techniques I could be inspired by, such as long shots, low shots, panning, insert shots, overhead shots, close-ups, and many more. Visually, it was good to have all of my ideas in one place, which made them flourish much more easily.

How did critiques or feedback help you revise or improve your artwork?

It really helped me curate my portfolio, especially my Selected Works. Sometimes when I thought I was done with some pieces, my teacher and my classmates would help me revise and notice when I needed to go back to some of them and do some further editing.

In what ways did your classmates support you during the creative process?

I would talk to them about the ideas that I had, and they would complement them with their own. It was a really comfortable environment for us to give each other constructive criticism and exchange opinions about what we liked in each other’s works.

What advice would you share with future AP Art and Design students about practicing, experimenting, and revising?

I would encourage future AP Art and Design students to explore not only what appeals to them visually but also what captivates them. Doing my investigation on film and cinema, which are things that I’m very passionate about, was something very creatively fulfilling for me. The ideas started coming to me more naturally, although sometimes having too many of them can make you feel overwhelmed, since maybe you won’t know where to start. Give yourself time to execute your ideas, and don’t be afraid to experiment with different techniques. That way, you don’t have to commit to an artwork that you don’t end up liking, and you still have time to come back to it to revise and re-edit. But if you do end up liking it, and it connects really well to your investigation, that is probably going to be one of your best works. Trial and error are super important, as they open up our minds to new ideas that we wouldn’t have thought of before.