Even on a rainy day, Oceane Hall can be seen walking around campus with half-completed paintings in her hand. As this AP Studio Art senior focuses on painting intricate details, a story unfolds from each brushstroke. You can’t help but wonder what it takes to become an artist like her.

In October, Hall opened her online shop and started selling copies of her creations, and she is constantly seeking new ways to expose her art to a broader audience: for example, displaying sketchbook updates and photos of her works in progress on her Instagram account. Hall’s art has also been displayed in the Las Laguna Art Gallery, Artist Talk Magazine and Irvine City Hall.

“Art is kind of the way I express myself,” Hall said. “I’m usually more of a closed-off, shyer person so it’s really nice being able to spend so much time working on a specific thing and then see it grow and evolve.”

Since Hall was young, she made DIY crafts and sparked her affinity for art. In middle school, Hall committed to drawing every day and was self-taught until her junior year where she entered her first art portfolio prep class.

“I got a lot of feedback from my teachers and from students,” Hall said. “Right now for AP Art, sometimes we’ll stop what we’re doing, walk around the class and look at other peoples’ artwork.”

Through her art, Hall has experimented with many different mediums like watercolor, sketching, mixed media, digital and even ceramics. However, charcoal and oil painting remain her favorites as she explores new methods in AP Studio Art this year.

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“Paper Boat” is an oil painting that was the first piece that she made for her AP Studio Art class.  “I wanted to explore age regression through this painting and how some people may revert to a younger state of mind to cope,” Hall said on Instagram. “I wanted to use the boat as a symbol of something that is helping her ‘float’ and a representation of childhood.” 

It’s clear that as accomplished as she currently is, Hall is only getting started with her art career. To stay updated on her future endeavors and purchase art prints from her, visit Hall’s Instagram @oceanehall and website www.oceanehall.com. Her advice to aspiring artists is to continue practicing.

“I’ve been drawing for a really long time but when I’m looking back at my old drawings, even from just one or two years ago, I can see the growth,” Hall said. “When you’re in it, you don’t realize how much you’re growing.”