Senior Samantha Pockolski created an art project that was inspired by the bright, warm light and the feeling of spring glowing through her window. This moment of nature’s beauty sparked a creative vision behind this piece.

“I was sitting at my desk that is close to my window, and I was looking out the window and wanted to capture the feeling of the bright light, warm spring feeling,” Samantha Pocholski said.

Her main challenge was understanding the way oil pastels work. How to blend the colors to her liking, how to make sure they came out smoothly and all while trying to make sure all the elements she wanted in her piece would stand out in their own way.

“A challenge to creating this piece was the material of oil pastel, I have to work with blending colors and re-pasteling the piece to emphasize elements. This was one of my first oil pastel paintings,” Pocholski said.

Looking past the beauty of this painting holds a deeper meaning. The window sill that holds the vase full of decaying flowers, highlights the process of trying to move forward after a loss. Now knowing that the painting can hold more significance.

“When looking at the painting at first look it just looks like a window sill with a vase decaying flowers, those flowers were given to me by someone that was no longer in my life, the meaning of this piece was significant because, it shows even when someone or something is no longer in your life, you can still shine and move forward,” Pocholski said.

Creating art gives her a healthy outlet for her emotions, allowing expression without having a feel of constraints or pressure that comes with talking or journaling. It’s a freeing experience that helps get emotions out that words sometimes cannot.

“Art makes me feel I can depict my feelings in a materialistic way and not the pressure of writing correctly,” Pocholski said.