EMILY Grade: college freshman School: Rhode Island School of Design Interests: art history, oil painting, reading, golf, tennis, music, movies On Starting: "I've been drawing as long as I can remember. I emulated my mother, who does jewelry design and fabric art. In high school I had a great art teacher who inspired me to make art my career, forced a dedication in me, and I acquired a huge drive."

Favorite Medium: "I like figuring out oils, though I'm more proficient in acrylics. I'll work in anything -- graphite pencils, ink washes, photo collages, computer art too." Favorite Art Subjects: "I love doing people, portrait paintings like Velazquez. The human figure can say so much without being in a specific pose. I like depicting the relationship between human beings and how they relate to their environments. I've been told my work is expressionistic, emotions-based." Influences: "I get ideas from watching TV, reading underground comics, and other artists like Velazquez and Egon Schiele. I get composition ideas from photography." Unique Technique: "I get wild in colors but stay realistic in style. I am also unique in my use of lines for drawing fabrics - I think I got my eye for color and fabrics from my mother's art." Goals: "I'd be happy doing anything in the arts. Education really appeals to me because of its stability and I would be helping people discover themselves through their art. I am also interested in exploring graphic design, like a magazine or children's book illustrator." For All You Young Artists Out There: "Always look for ways to interpret the world. Keep the passion for it!"