AP Art students are brushing up their skills and have high hopes for their future as artists.

The AP Art class is only for the best of the best art students in Bear River High School. All year, students have been working hard on projects to complete their portfolios. From their long hours of time in and out of class, they hope to have the potential to go to a good art college.

Bear River Art Teacher Elizabeth Jens talked about why AP Art is an advanced class.

“Students apply to be in AP Art class, and they already have to have had one year of art with me, because it’s a very high level class,” said Mrs. Jens. “They spend the year making an exquisite portfolio to submit to the AP board. Basically it’s like 20 themed artworks, exploration of watercolor, and portraits by candlelight.”

Mrs. Jens also explained that only the most qualified students take AP Art.

“Usually the best ones take AP, which is basically like taking any other AP class,” she said. “It’s very driven and you have to be super motivated. It’s definitely not for everyone — that person is working on their portfolio all year.”

Aidan Conley, a senior, is a student in AP Art class and talked about what he wants to do with his strong interest in art.

“After high school, I’m going into fashion design,” said Conley. “I plan on going to California College of the Arts in Oakland, California. I have family roots to the area and it’s a really nice place, it’s a really nice college that I’ve been looking at for a few years that would fit my goals.”

Conley discussed what he has learned in Bear River’s art program these past few years.

“I would say I learned a lot of the essential standards to art,” explained Conley. “For example, like how colors contrast and some basic human anatomy, lighting. This class is allowing me to be more individual with my personal artistic tastes and it’s allowing me to take my personal preferences and talents into a direction that I like more.”

He also talked about his hopes to gain scholarships through art and pursuing a career in fashion design.

“With the AP Art portfolio that I’ll be submitting at the end of the year, hopefully I can have either a scholarship that can help fund my way into college or make my trip easier,” said Conley. “I really like fashion design. It’s been one of my goals and that’s what I’m doing for my senior project this year. I just feel like I have a pretty decent sense for it and if I had the opportunity to put what I think is good into the market I could make it easier for people to look nice.”

Riley Slater, a junior, talked about how he is not really looking to move forward with art but loves it none of the less.

“I’m just taking this class because I like art,” said Slater. “I’m not thinking about applying to any art colleges. I’ve learned to do a lot of different art styles with a lot of different mediums, and I’ve got a lot of practice with art. I started art when I was a little kid and I just liked drawing and I just kept doing it.”

Erin De’Ak, a junior, discussed how she came across art and why she stuck with it.

“I started art when I was seven years old mostly because I didn’t have a television and that was one of the only reasons,”said De’Ak. “I had to keep myself entertained. But as I grew older I started enjoying art more. I realized that it’s actually very beautiful and very expressional.”

De’Ak also talked about why she’s taking AP Art class and her future as a artist.

“When it comes to AP Art I’m mostly just in here so I can create a portfolio for college, and where I want to take it might be into graphic design,” explained De’Ak.

De’Ak also confessed where her passion in art lies most.

“I love modern art, its very unique,” she explained. “I might possibly apply to an art college. I was thinking about art institutes, but I recently learned that it’s a for-profit school and a lot of bad things from it. So now I’m not quite sure where art is taking me.”