Junior Caroline Walsh created this vibrant mixed-media self portrait for IB Painting, taught by Meryl Haring. The piece, which includes meticulously folded blue cotton squares set against Walsh's loose, fiery curls, is on display now in the Administration Building. Walsh began working on the portrait last November and finished in January.

Walsh says Haring instructed the students to include symbols in their work. In Walsh's piece, the folded blue squares represent her way of dealing with stress. Last summer, Walsh attended a summer program at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and used the same folding technique to cover the skirt of a dress she designed. "It took a long time to fold those squares, but it was very rewarding in the end," Walsh says. She added that the skin in her portrait is more saturated and colorful than her other paintings, and Walsh says that overall, she's pleased with the piece. "It didn't turn out the way I expected it to, but I like it. And I learned that I like painting in the large scale more than the small scale because in small scale, I tend to get too focused on the details," she says.

After she graduates from SHHS in June 2018, Walsh plans to attend a university with a strong arts program to study fashion and business.