Tucked away in the H-Hall basement lie the unconventional classrooms of our very own Cary-Grove Art Department. For many students, the most they will ever see of the department is occasional displays in the halls, or a brief semester of VAT to fulfill their computer credit. But there is a lot more than just that – the department is home to many skilled students who have worked their way up into the advanced level classes.
In this series of upcoming Artist Features, get a glimpse behind the curtain to learn all about these individuals: what inspires them, where you can see more of their creations, and the actual fascinating process behind their works.
To kick-off this series, we have student artist Ali Carnesecchi.
AP Studio Art is a college-level course that requires artists to construct a detailed portfolio of 15 works over the course of the year, all exploring a unique theme.
For her own portfolio, Ali Carnesecchi seeks to create a time capsule of the human moments that give her life meaning.
“I’m trying to look at the human experience and the emotions that we have in really small but profound moments,” Carnesecchi said.
A senior, Carnesecchi has been heavily involved in the art department since her freshman year. “I’ve been in all the Studio Art classes before this. I took four classes freshman year,” she recalled. She has also helped out as a teacher’s assistant for VAT.
“I’ve been making art for so long,” Carnesecchi explained. “I don’t think there was anything specific, honestly. I think I just picked up a pencil and liked it.”
Calendar
One representative piece of Carnesecchi’s portfolio is her calendar.
“The calendar, obviously, is how dates are important to us. It could be positive and negative dates. And at the [Cary-Grove Anamoly] Art Show, I had people circle days that were important to them, and then that’s going to feed into the final product.”
The calendar was made entirely on paper using acrylic markers, and the process required extensive measuring.
“They were 11 x 14 sheets, so it’s fairly big doing 12 of those. I actually produced the calendars, but they had to be 11 x 17, so I also had to add a lot on digitally.”
To create her calendar, Carnesecchi began by sourcing references online. She mentioned the help of Pinterest for this specific project, but often utilizes other social media platforms as well.
“Instagram gives me a lot of ideas because I follow a lot of artists there. That’s just a good way to see other people’s styles, what they’re doing, and get inspired.”
2 Nights
A second portfolio piece done with acrylic markers is Carnesecchi’s cat portrait, another ode to the theme of negativity versus positivity.
“I had a drawing of my cat that recently passed away, because we’ve all been there, I think, where you lose someone or a pet,” she said.
Besides using acrylic markers, Carnesecchi frequently paints. She detailed how this painting captured her happiness while walking alongside her
teachers on a field trip.
“It just felt nice to be outside of a school setting with someone you admire,” she said.
Painted dogs commission piece
Outside of working on her portfolio, Carnesecchi also offers painted commissions like this one through her Instagram and TikTok accounts. To learn more about pricing and availability, make sure to check out her informational posts.
Self-Portrait (2023)
Even before taking AP Art, Carnesecchi was getting recognized. Last year, her dedication paid off when her self-portrait painting was chosen for the Northern Regional Art Exhibition in Chicago. The exhibition is a showcase for the work of top high school artists across Northern Illinois, and is highly competitive.
Getting accepted into such an exhibit takes a lot of skill, and according to Carnesecchi, this skill takes work.
“A lot of people will assume that art is just talent — it’s not,” she said. “It’s a lot of practice, and getting yourself into a habit of practicing it, and doing it, until you’re at the point where you make stuff you like.”
“I think a big first step is understanding that you’re not gonna be great at it at first. It’s like playing a sport to me,” she said. “Any progress individually is something to be proud of because nobody’s ever at the same level as each other.”
Currently, Carnesecchi is in the process of looking at college options for when she graduates. “I’m looking at going for English. So I might minor in art,” she noted.
To learn more about our student artists, check back on the Trojan Times website in the future for more features like this. You can also visit the CG Art Department’s Instagram page.
If you are an artist currently enrolled in a high-level Cary-Grove art class (Design Production, APs) who would be interested in your own feature, feel free to send an email to this account for more information: [email protected]