Vera Sorotokin joined us in 2020. She has prepared her AP portfolio with a perfect score of 5 under the Art School of SF Bay teachers' guidance. Please find her Sustained Investigation memo below:

WRITTEN EVIDENCE
1. Identify the inquiry that guided your sustained investigation.
This year, through my sustained investigation which asks how one’s childhood is shaped by growing up in a multicultural environment, I finally asked myself: “What does my heritage truly mean to me?”

Given the political opposition between the two countries, being raised in a Russian and Ukrainian household severely altered my identity. I sought to explore the challenge of embodying both cultures and questioning my thoughts and emotions in times of conflict. In some way, this sustained investigation embodies the oath I gave to my younger self; that I will finally voice my experience.

2. Describe ways your sustained investigation developed through practice, experimentation, and revision.

Prior to my sustained investigation, I had a very limited experience with portraiture and painting people. Nevertheless, I strived to display clear and deep emotion in my characters' facial expressions and body language. Additionally, I experimented a lot with my own ideas and generating unique thumbnails for each piece. By using procreate and cropping photos, I was able to collage my own reference images. In terms of revision, works 7 and 9 definitely underwent the most. I pushed through both technical problems with the composition and challenges with conveying an accurate message.