By Isabel Costian

Senior Anna Maupin’s precise fingers made confident strokes to blend the stoic man’s rounded jaw. As she finished shading his bronzed face, she realized that for the first time, her vision had come to life on watercolor paper.

As Anna stared at the piece at her green wooden desk – an art station covered with miscellaneous utensils – she knew that she wanted to continue making art.

Anna has received acclaim for her artistic talents, as she’s made it to the state competition for VASE twice and for PTA Reflections twice. Her art was also showcased at the RISD Visual Keynote, the Lamar Street Festival, and Ten50, a local restaurant.

“Anna’s art skills are fantastic,” senior Ashley Ubben said. “Everything she draws is very lifelike and has a good character about it. It’s so expressive.”

Coloring books were the first tools Anna used to express herself artistically, and she said she was hooked ever since. She joined the Art Magnet in 7th grade and has been an active member for the past six years.

“I’ve definitely improved a lot with style and technique,” Anna said. “I’ve gotten better at composing my pieces, like putting things where they’re more aesthetically pleasing, instead of lots of negative space.”

Along the way, Art Magnet teacher Sonia Krusleski has acted as a mentor and helped Anna grow artistically by giving her advice and guidance.

“Anna’s a lot more mature at this age than a lot of my former students have been,” Krusleski said. “She’s not jealous of anyone. She’s just confident.”

After being taught the basics and figuring out which mediums, techniques and proportions work best, Anna said she’s focusing less on technical aspects than she used to.

“Now that I understand form and composition, I’m working more toward getting my message across through art,” she said.

While her artistic expression is Anna’s main focus, she also has been restoring two black 1967 Chevrolet Impala’s in her free time, which she said she doesn’t have a lot of.

“The work on the cars is still kind of happening, but it’s currently being taken over by college applications,” Anna said.

Inspired by the car in the TV series “Supernatural,” Anna and her father have been working to restore the Impalas for two years. One of the cars they’re working on is meant to be a replica of the iconic car.

“It looks exactly like the one on the screen,” Anna said. “There are inaccuracies, but it still looks like a cool car.”

The Maupins have used an additional Impala and Corvette for parts in order to refurbish the two Impalas – one being a daily driver, and the other being a replica.

“It wouldn’t be practical to drive it around every day,” she said. “The driver’s more like a safe alternative.”

In addition to being an award-winning artist and classic car enthusiast, Anna is also academically gifted, ranked 4th in her class.

“Anna has a lot of diverse skills,” Ubben said. “She doesn’t get enough sleep, but she is very good at what she does.”