Kaelie Macaulay
Copy Editor
Ever since she was a child, Costa senior Fiona Dowdee has always had a crayon or a paintbrush in her hand.
Dowdee has always been encouraged to express herself creatively since both of her parents have Master’s Degrees in fine art. Dowdee’s artwork is currently on display in the latest exhibit at the Resin Gallery, a permanent gallery show exhibiting collections of local art.
“I’ve been painting since I was a little kid,” Dowdee said. “I’ve been artistically inclined from a really young age. My parents have been a big help in critiquing my art and helping me make it better and nurturing my creative spirit. Over the years, I’ve been getting more heavily into painting and fine art.”
At Mira Costa, Dowdee took two years of Advanced Placement Studio Art and is currently taking Advanced Placement Art History. She also took painting last semester.
“I’ve learned a lot from the Costa art classes because they have been able to keep me concentrated on a goal,” Dowdee said. “I enjoy my AP Art History class because it’s really cool to learn about my favorite art on a more historical and intellectual basis. It helps me also discover different styles and techniques to adopt into my own work.”
Dowdee’s latest project is a series of large scale portraits made with oil paint. Each large portrait is accompanied with a smaller canvas, depicting an abstract or still life scene. The project focuses on identity and how people see themselves. Dowdee has painted Costa students Emmi Ayers, Cole Fishman, and Kat Donovan.
“They are a mixture of realism and stylization; each portrait represents the physical embodiment of that particular person and the backgrounds are colors that match the person’s personality,” Dowdee said. “The bigger painting is how I see them on the outside and the paired piece is a representation of how they see themselves on the inside.”
After seeing one of Dowdee’s pieces at a Costa art show, the Resin Gallery chose Dowdee’s painting to be the student art piece for their monthly show. Dowdee also received the Rotary Craftsmanship Award for her accomplishments in art.
“It’s really weird to see myself in a gallery, and I mean weird in the best way possible,” Ayers said. “The painting totally captured my spirit, and the fact that she didn’t make my skin perfect or my face perfectly symmetrical adds to my essence more because we aren’t perfect.”
Dowdee will attend the Otis College of Art and Design in the fall and hopes to have her pieces in as many galleries as possible in order to expand her audience. In the future, Dowdee aspires to open an art supply store cafe that hosts live music shows and gives young people a creative outlet.
“I love having my art up in galleries because I can see it as a viewer instead of an artist, and I get a glimpse into what other people see,” Dowdee said. “Gallery shows are the best way of growing as an artist. Getting more people to show your art to is how you share your ideas and feelings about the public. It’s a very powerful thing.”
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