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Amanda Darza: "The Imperfect Artist"
By Betty Cui '11, courtesy of Kent News |
Artists are usually known for being critical about things, including their own works. Amanda Darza ’10 is a perfect example of an “imperfect artist” at Kent. As a sixth former, Darza has contributed to the Kent art program in multiple areas throughout her career since arriving here in her fourth form year. Even though she is very accomplished as a young artist, Darza has never stopped reaching for aesthetic perfection.
Coming from the Republic of the Philippines, Darza arrived at Kent midway through her sophomore year in preparation for her career here as a junior. The move to Kent was a very challenging time for both her and her family. In the Philippines, attending boarding school was not that common and it was her first time being away without her parents. From the time that Darza took a tour of the campus, it only took two weeks to make the transition and to move into the dorm. She stated that, “I was still in my old school, and two weeks completely changed my life.”
In fact, it was indeed a turning point for Darza’s art, as well. Before she came to Kent, she had never taken art seriously. Back in her international middle school in the Philippines, art was a required class that everyone had to take. Darza recalls, “At that time, I only did art for getting good grades, not for my own personal goals.” Instead, sports played a big part of her life. Her passion up until then was soccer, and she even had the chance to represent the Philippines in a European tournament.
When Darza began to tour boarding schools, she was ironically intimidated to participate in art because, “everyone was so good.” However, after taking art survey and several other art classes, she was encouraged by Ms. Lynch to fully develop her artistic talent. She soon realized that she has always had a talent for art without realizing it. Since that time she began to fully devote her time and passion into the creation of art. This same passion had led her to great achievements in under a year, and during her fifth form year, she won a silver recognition in the 2009 State of Connecticut Scholastic Art Awards held by the Connecticut Art Education Association.
Darza has proved herself to be multi-faceted as an artist. Instead of just focusing on one particular area, she prefers to work with different kinds of art. She has tried painting, drawing and photography, yet she feels “more in control with pencils and pens in hands.” She is an “imperfect artist,” who is never satisfied with her work, causing her to continually experiment with her work. She comments on her perfectionism, “I never really liked my work and I can always see things that I want to improve. I would even get tired of doing art in general, but I never really got out of it completely.”
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