A picture is worth a thousand words. So for some, art is the way to unleash their true inner feelings, giving a voice to those who are too shy to unleash it vocally. Senior Maeve Potash is one of these people. Although quiet and mild mannered in person, she speaks volumes with her paintbrush and camera, expressing herself through each drop of paint and each snap of her camera’s shutters.

“One of the reasons why I love art is that it’s kind of like a place to store your thoughts,” Potash said. “It can be exhausting to have a million things going on in your head, so it’s nice to put some of those things somewhere else and also create something out of it. I think in a way art has given me more confidence. I’m usually pretty quiet and introverted, so through art I can express the thoughts and ideas that would be hard for me to communicate to people otherwise.”

Her love for art is deeply rooted in her life. She grew up in an art-friendly environment with parents that encouraged this love. Since then, her love has grown from taking art courses both in school and outside. She has taken six art courses at Neshaminy and two, one-week courses at the Moore College of Art at Temple. She mostly draws and paints expressions, eyes, hands and people, a skill that has been honed over years of capturing the world around her, be it by photography or paintbrush or pencil. She plans on attending the Tyler School of Art at Temple University and majoring in fine arts.

“Maeve combines exceptional artistic skill with witty and smart commentary,” said her studio art teacher Terry O’Neill. “I am excited to see how her AP portfolio takes shape.”