“My name is Ayana Hall and I am a student artist currently going to Baltimore School for the Arts. I typically make character art and I am currently expanding more into storytelling. After college, I am hoping to get a career in the animation industry because I grew up watching many animated films from animation studios and I enjoy being able to bring a character to life in a similar way. 

The series that I created during Baltimore Youth Arts’s winter session is about self-exploration and expression. For this series, I created four experimental artworks by using acrylic paint and pen. I wanted to create this series to help myself to reflect on various parts of my identity and growth. This project was also for me to branch out of my comfort zone, to not only challenge myself but to also represent myself going through a new stage of my life. Ultimately, I used this project to express myself in a way that was abstract but personal.”

-Ayana Hall

“I am a young artist that is inspired by the world around me along with my culture. I also take inspiration from old/abandoned buildings, music, folklore, and my mom. As I get older I want to be able to show people what I see in the world and the people around me. I want them to see the beauty of what is old and unknown/unseen.

The art I make now is what comes to my head and what I see can come and go within an instant that is just how my brain works. Therefore, if I want to remember what I have seen then I have to be quick to replicate what I see. I like to use procreate or mixed media because I like to have different textures and colors. I also like to work with what I have access to.”

-Cheyenne Cridland

“Hello, my name is Chazzon Brown. As an artist, I believe I am a mid beginner but it is getting better. In the future, I would like to be a clothes designer or a dancer. Designing clothes to me is fun, I watch a lot of designers on YouTube and I sometimes sketch what I see because it gives me a lot of ideas on what I would like my line of clothing to be for me. BYA has really helped me a lot and made it more enjoyable to get my designing on point for my future.”

-Chazzon Brown

“My name is Jasmine Artis, and I am an inspirational, creative, detailed, and cognitive artist. I transform my experiences into works of art in order to create inspirational and reflective art pieces. My art is never simple because as a critical thinker, I am always looking to make statements with my art- which can have many different interpretations in its meaning. My goal in creating art is to sew purpose into my art and leave loose threads for viewers to follow. I make art because it allows me to express myself, my thoughts, my feelings, and my opinions without facing judgment from others. There is no right or wrong in art- there is only expression. Art allows me to escape the pressures of expectations and perfection.

I came up with the idea for this artwork because In hue of Black History Month, I wanted to create a series focusing on the idea black hair, freedom, life, culture, and language- all things very important to me as a young black woman. The meaning behind my series is breaking barriers and stigmas about things related to black people in order to visualize them in positive aspects, opposed to the very common negative ones. I used procreate to make this series, and it was fun navigating through my first experience with digital art while watching my series come together. I am proud of the art that I have created, and I hope that it makes a meaningful impact and spreads positivity. “

-Jasmine Artis

“My name is Kya Smith and I’m a 17-year-old artist. As an artist, I create fun artwork. The majority of my artwork is surrounded by anime and cartoons. I love the playfulness and fun spirit that cartoon characters emit. In the upcoming months, I want to get better with my realism art. I started making art when I was in 1st grade. I loved doing abstract art, but I stopped after my parents couldn’t afford to keep getting me supplies. A year ago I started doing art again. My art became my escape route from reality. I want to be an inspiration to young artists. I want them to know that they can step out of their comfort zone and be successful. I need them to understand that their paintbrushes do the talking. Whatever they want, they get. I love seeing the progress that I’ve made throughout this year.

The artwork I have focused on for this series was realism. I’ve always struggled with realism due to realistic features such as the eyes. Eyes were my worst nightmare considering they always looked like cousins instead of siblings. I decided to do my series on things that scared me or I thought were creepy. The reasoning behind going through with this was stepping out of my comfort zone. As I previously stated, I create fun artwork. I wanted to see what my mind could do with a little darkness. In order to call me an artist, I had to push my limits. This series was the best thing I could do for myself. Every piece was made with pencil, paint, or both. I wanted to keep the realistic features but also bring the artwork out. Painting certain things allow you to focus on those certain things. I love the work I have produced and I can’t wait to keep improving.”

-Kya Smith

“I am a young artist who is still learning things about my art. I want to be more confident that I can bring the image in my head onto paper. Over time I will become more sure about my style and more confident about my abilities. Until then, I am practicing in order to figure out who I am as an artist. I would like to make art that I can personally connect with in some way. I would like my art to be personal to me, as well as being recognized as mine. I do not think I will ever be completely satisfied with my artwork, since there is always room for growth. Although continuous growth is the goal, I will always be appreciative of what I create in comparison to what I have created because it is proof of my artistic journey.

The art series I have created this session was centered around the diversity and beauty of black hair. I connected it with the current climate of the world with the pandemic going on. While masks are being worn in most public places, it highlights the most simple features of a person and my goal was to shed light on that. My art series was an exploration of my style and I am proud of what I’ve created. By doing this series I learned how to consider different angles of the head and face shapes. I used procreate to create these digital drawings which allowed me to use different tools and explore textures within my work.

-Makaila Keith

“My name is Marcus Hall and I am a young artist living with autism. I attend Paul Lawerence Dunbar high school and have worked at BYA for 3 years. I am an artist who finds inspiration from the things that surround me and take inspiration from everyday life experiences as a young man growing up in Baltimore city. I want to be an inspiration to those who also live with autism and show them that your disability shouldn’t interfere with what it is you want to do in life. Show them that having a disability can be an advantage rather than being seen as a disadvantage. I like to make art using watercolors, tempera sticks, and digital art using the program procreate. My favorite type of art to create is taking a photograph and bringing it into the program procreate to paint over it and create something totally different, unique, and beautiful. My purpose for creating art is that it’s therapeutic, gives me a positive outlet, and is my happy place. The idea that went into creating art in the open studio this session was having total control and creativity and freedom over the art I created. It really pushed me to find inspiration and expanded my mind being there was no creative direction this session. I was able to create art that had meaning and covered things that are important to me.

One piece of art in particular I created was a painted-over portrait of my brother who is also my best friend. The meaning behind this was to show the importance of family. I used a photo that I took in a previous session and I brought the photo into Procreate and painted over it. I had a lot of fun creating this piece of art. It turned out even better than I could have imagined.”

-Marcus Hall Jr.