Emily Aussem

It’s fun to make art. It makes me feel happy that I know I’ll do good. I like that anyone can buy my artwork. I feel great when I finish a piece because I accomplished something. I like getting paid and saving my money. I work with acrylic paint. It dries fast so you don’t have to wait a long time before you do the next part. Me, Niki and Amanda are doing photo transfers. It’s fun because the images stay on the canvas. You have to rub the paper off, outline and go back to block in colors. If I have an idea, I put it on canvas.  I write my ideas on a project plan. Things that inspire me are photography, taking pictures of people, and Instyle magazine. I get ideas from the iPad. I’ve done animals, Jane Seymour, and a guardian angel picture. I’m good at cleaning up, getting my supplies and making art pieces. Blocking in colors is easy and adding highlights and shadows.

For responsibilities I am one of the floaters. If there is no one to do the dishes I fill in. It’s fun. I like popping in to help out. I do drama too. I act out plays, any role, like good guys. I like talking about upcoming events. When I’m not at Arts of Life I read mysteries by James Patterson, go out with friends, and hangout. I’ve met a lot of friends at Arts of Life. I also do horseback riding for Special Olympics. I started horseback riding at age nine just for fun. When I was about fourteen or fifteen years old I started to do more stuff on my own; grooming, tacking, and feed horses. When I was nineteen or twenty is when I found out about horseback riding for Special Olympics. I rode for the first time for that and I loved it. I was just in Special Olympics and won first place medals for working trails and english equitation, where you have to do a pattern while riding a horse. It’s not hard.

Five years from now, I want to still be working with horses and teaching little kids how to clean them. I want to go to Miami and swim with the dolphins. I’ll still be making art.