Courtney Baumgartner is an exceptional artist at North Hills High School. We got the chance to sit down with her and ask her a few questions.

Q: What got you interested in art?

A: I’ve always been interested in art, and even when I was little, I would always draw.

Q: What artist inspires you the most?

A: Glenn Arthur. He does realistic, gorgeous pieces of actual people, and he is also a tattoo artist.

Q: Who inspires you the most and why?

A: My dad; he would always help me with everything, and he never went to college. So I feel like if I go and show him I can go for art, it will make him very happy.

Q: What are your plans after high school?

A: I’m going to major in graphic design and minor in something art-related, and I’m most likely going to Edinboro.

Q: What’s your favorite form of art?

A: Surrealism. It’s realistic, but something is off about it that helps it make sense.

Q: What’s your favorite art piece?

A: A force perspective piece I did of one of my classmates. It’s an image where something is closer than everything else in the picture.

Q: What has been your greatest artistic success?

A: Over all the years, I’ve mastered colored pencil and have also found my own style.

Q: What’s the most challenging part of being an artist?

A: Knowing that everyone has their own opinions about everything. Someone could love a piece of art that you do, and someone could hate it.

Q: Has your art won any awards?

A: I made a 3D sculpture of a fish for a contest at the North Hills Art Center and won second place.

Q: What’s the best part about being an artist?

A: The fact that you can put down what’s in your imagination on paper for others to see.