Emma Nolan, Reporter
@emman_courant
Many students know senior Corinne Vietorisz from her iconic contributions to each NCHS art exhibit. By participating in art classes since her freshman year, Corinne has been able to expand the variety of her portfolio and gain many followers in the process.
Since learning how to draw, Corinne has been creating art for herself and for others. “In kindergarten, my friend would write stories and I would always illustrate them,” Corinne said. “I guess ever since then I’ve loved to draw.”
As she developed as an artist, Corinne decided to try styles other than just drawing cartoons and sketches. “I started drawing realistically in middle school,” she said. “By high school I had begun to develop my current style of art.”
Aware of her love for illustrating from a young age, Corinne decided that she would take advantage of the various art classes at NCHS. “Entering the high school, I signed up right away for the art electives,” Corinne said. “I’ve taken an art elective every single semester of high school since freshman year.”
Corinne began her high school career by taking drawing and sculpture classes taught by art teacher Lisa Floryshak-Windman. After these two electives, Corinne proceeded to take jewelry, painting, advanced studio and AP Studio Art. “Taking art classes in school has helped me discover my love for various mediums,” she said. “Each has its own benefits and is fun and interesting in its own way.
Not only has Corinne been able to take art courses at NCHS, but she has also taken art classes on her own time. “I’ve taken several painting and drawing classes at Silvermine during the summer,” she said. “These classes really helped me get a solid technical foundation, which is important because you have to know the basics before you can branch out and do the kind of work you want to.”
After taking art electives for two years and classes at Silvermine, Corinne decided she wanted to particpate in the visual art community at the high school. After joining the gallery committee at the beginning of her junior year, Corinne has helped assemble a variety of art shows. “I love working on gallery committee because it allows me to be a part of a larger artistic community and promote that community at school,” she said. “It gives an audience to the works of NCHS students, and puts more value on the artistic talent of our students.”
Although Corinne is a big fan of a variety of artistic styles, she does claim to have a specific artistic style. “I’d label my artistic style as ‘pop-art surrealism’,” Corinne said. “It blends elements of pop art, such as bold colors and shapes, with concepts of surrealism. It’s dream-like and plays with the mind.”
Corinne admits to having many artist inspirations that have helped shape her work. “I’d say the artists I am most influenced by are Peter Max, Salvador Dali, Keith Haring and Doctor Seuss, but there’s a whole lot more,” she said. “I actually met Peter Max in eighth grade and that really began my love for pop-art.”
Corinne is drawn to the imaginative qualities of art. “Dali’s work is so weird and mind-bending, qualities which I like to weave into my work,” she said. “I also have an uncontrollable love for Doctor Seuss, because his work is so imaginative, whimsical, and fun. I’d love for my work to be like that.”
While Corinne has many sources for inspiration, she has also become an inspiration to many others. In the past two months, Corinne has had two pieces of her work shared over Instagram and Facebook by band Walk the Moon and actor Joseph Gordon-Levitt. “Having both Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Walk the Moon share my artwork on social media within the time span of 2 months is absolutely mind-blowing, I’m actually still freaking out,” she said. “Getting that much positive publicity for your artwork is absolutely a dream come true.” From these two experiences, Corinne has gained countless Instagram followers, likes, and other forms of publicity on her pop-art surrealist creations.
As Corinne progresses through senior year, she plans to incorporate art into her life after NCHS.“Next year, I’ll be double-majoring in art and biology at Dartmouth, I will definitely be continuing with it,” she said. “I don’t plan on making a living off of it, but I will definitely keep trying to develop an artistic presence and hopefully begin selling my work commercially.”
