Junior Autumn Boit’s self-portrait “Ascent of a Dreaming Artist” is on display with the Howard County Arts Council Re-Imagining Boundaries: Persevering in the Time of COVID virtual exhibit. 

For her piece, Boit was inspired by both her fondness for modern and classical fantasy and science fiction. “I wanted to show how my love of this genre over the years has really made me who I am.” Boit expressed, “Much of the inspiration of the vibrant colors was actually taken from my dreams–while this portrait was one of realism, I wanted to make it seem brighter and more ethereal than life by using these expressive colors.”

The process of creating this art piece came with a lot of thought, time, and techniques. “I took several photos of myself in order to create a reference of light and shadow to work off of,” stated Boit. “Then, I sketched out a rough diagram of my face-I outlined all of the various different pieces of light and shadow carefully over a few hours.”

Subsequently, thinking of ideas for a base color and visualizations was in action. “I started with the largest and darkest blocks of color, slowly working my way inwards to the highlights and high-contrast areas.” Boit explained, “Once I was satisfied with the portrait itself, I added my glowing effects and scattered stars to truly finish the work.”

After completing the portrait, Boit developed a name spot on! The name “Ascent of a Dreaming Artist” comes with two meanings, one being symbolic and the other fantastical. “The symbolic meaning is that it represents me maturing as an artist and improving my skills: “ascending” in the sense of that I learn new skills and techniques every day. The fantastical meaning echoes this, but in the fantasy “dream” I imagined for this piece, art is a form of literal magic; my “ascension” in this meaning is literal, as the piece is illuminated by own creativity and happiness.”

Boit mentioned that “Ascent of a Dreaming Artist” follows the theme of “Re-Imagining Boundaries: Persevering in the Time of COVID” by how she is able to share her own personal way to escape with the world. 

“I found escaping into fantastical worlds to be a valuable hobby during our long quarantine.” She remarked, “Whether, by book, videogame, movie, or art, I never fail to be inspired by what wonderful stories people have created and shared,” defining the idea that the creation of art forms a way to connect with the world and allow a part of yourself to be discovered. 

Furthermore, art is placed in a significant part of Boit’s life. “I’m almost always creating something, whether it’s poetry, prose, art like ‘Ascent of a Dreaming Artist,’ or something else entirely. It’s what brought me and all of my close friends together, and will hopefully continue to do so for many, many years to come.”

“I consider my art to be a storytelling tool; a way to take my dreams and ideas and show them to the world.”

-Autumn Boit