When Alex Minnick was a senior at Sunlake High School back in June, he had to submit a 24-piece portfolio for his Advanced Placement Drawing class. They were on display at a scoring event in Salt Lake City, Utah, where judges determined an overall score of one through six.
As it turns out, no sixes were awarded, and only around 15.5 percent of the approximately 18,000 entries earned a 5, which was the highest score awarded by the judges.
(Photos courtesy of Alex Minnick)
Minnick was surprised when he learned his score.
“I thought I would get a three or a four,” he said.
The Lutz resident tends to be critical of his own work, but he devotes considerable time and effort to each piece.
He estimates that it typically takes eight hours or more to complete a piece, and he generally prefers the quiet of his room, so he can focus on his work.
When he finishes, he often feels more relieved, than satisfied.
“Most of the time, I’m just exhausted because I’m really critical of what I do. So when I look at the final piece, it’s not exactly how I planned it originally, but it still turns out fine,” Minnick said.
One piece that turned out fine involves hands, which Minnick said was a challenge. They’re easy to get wrong, he explained, because people know when they don’t look right. And, he noted, they need to be expressive and convey strength.
Another difficult piece shows Minnick looking at his reflection in a mirror. That one took closer to 14 hours to complete. He said he had to work hard to get the face in the reflection just right.
Still, he doesn’t think it’s perfect.
“I feel like it’s a good starting point, but I don’t feel like it’s one of my stronger pieces,” Minnick said.
If the artist sounds like an unforgiving critic, it’s because he specializes in a type of art with little room for error. Realistic pieces are supposed to look like the subject. Any deviation is noticed and detracts from the goal, which is to represent the subject in an authentic manner. Other subjects, such as a depiction of a reflection in a chrome faucet, are actually easier for Minnick to create. Because those images are supposed to look distorted, a viewer can be more forgiving — the eye doesn’t expect the image to be normal.
As a fan of art, Minnick’s preferences deviate from his own talents. His favorite artist is M.C. Escher, known for his famous and challenging works that often depict physically impossible images. The viewer sees staircases and other visuals, and tries to reconcile them with the physical world, but they don’t match up, creating an optical illusion of sorts.
In fact, departures from realistic depictions of subjects tend to interest Minnick.
“I like surrealist art, because I’m not too good at that. So, it’s something I like because it’s different from what I do,” Minnick said.
He’ll continue his own style at Pasco-Hernando State College, where he’ll continue to study art.
His teacher from Sunlake High School’s 2D AP Studio, Carolyn Frances, is impressed by Minnick’s talents.
“The AP Studio process challenges the student to reach expressive and artistic milestones that match the rigor and skills required of college-level studio art students,” Frances said, in a news release. “Alex is definitely ready for the college studio experience.”
While Minnick acknowledged that he’s not perfectly happy with his Advanced Placement submissions, his friends and family were excited about his score.
He has learned to accept that, even though he still sees aspects in his art that didn’t come out the way he wanted, he’s been recognized for excellence with a score that the vast majority of students won’t achieve.
“I still see the things I don’t like, but now that I know that I got a five, I’m more accepting of those things,” Minnick said.
Published August 26, 2015