While growing up in Brazil, junior Isabella Valle looked to her grandmother for inspiration. Isabella would sit and try to copy her, imitating various techniques that molded her into the artist she is today.

“My favorite kind of art is idealistic, which is when a piece has different meanings depending on who is looking at the piece, so there isn’t a just one set purpose for a drawing or painting,” Isabella said.

“It can speak to every person in a different way, and no one has the same view on it.”

Throughout her years at West Essex, Isabella has taken Drawing and Composition I, Studio Art II and III Honors, and looks forward to taking AP Studio Art next year. She is also a member of the National Art Honor Society.

Isabella specializes in drawing portraits. They range from celebrities to her friends and family. Her favorite portraits so far have been of West Essex 2017 graduate RJ Bell before a wrestling match and James Caldwell senior Sophia Bendriss.

Isabella’s process begins by thinking of the basic idea of what she wants to draw and then outlining it on paper. She then fills in the outline with ink and slowly adds new details that come to her in the moment. Isabella prefers pens and charcoal to markers or paint. Most of her art is left in black and white for dramatic effect.

“When I’m not drawing portraits, I take into consideration what is going on in my personal life and try and create a story about how I’m feeling on the paper,” she said. “I kind of just go with the flow and hope that it turns out to be something I actually 0like.”

“Isabella is a drawing machine,” art teacher Mr. Atura said.

While Isabella is unsure if she she wants to pursue art in college, she knows that she definitely wants to do something with art in her future job.

“Pursuing a career in art is a difficult and competitive field to be successful in,” Isabella said. “An artist must have a creative and unique mind, different than anyone else, but despite the unlikely odds, I think that I will be able to succeed in this field.”

Isabella sells some of her pieces through social media platforms. They range from $50 to $250, depending on the size, and she sells them to people all around the world.

Whenever she is not doing school work or in the pool practicing for swim team, she spends all of her time drawing. For at least a few hours each night, she works on some type of art. Her projects may take just hours or up to a couple of days to fully complete.

“You can always find Bella with a pen and paper no matter where she is,” junior Marisa DeFranza said. “She finds inspiration out of things in everyday life”.