When Bella Raven was asked to pick a topic for her high school AP art portfolio, she said it was an easy choice.
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"I had to do 15 pieces on one theme, so I had to pick that theme," explained Raven.
From start to finish, she decided to document the challenges and hardships of the COVID-19 pandemic
"My entire year was online," said Raven. "I wanted to go over that initial panic of what it felt like when it started and how I felt going through the whole year."
The project took hours each week, over the entire school year. The final product was over a dozen oil paintings showcasing crowded ICU rooms, empty classrooms and curfews.
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She even devoted several of her paintings to the first responders working tirelessly to help COVID patients.
"A lot of people have just been focusing on what's happening in their life, and they're not thinking about first responders who are taking care of these people and the credit they deserve," added Raven.
Now a freshman at Fresno State, Raven says she doesn't have a plan for her paintings just yet but hopes to continue to use her art to reflect stories that matter most.