As the raw sounds of Nirvana and Incubus fill her room, senior Alex Zembo conveys her emotions through drawing and painting. Whether she is doodling on her desk or designing a masterpiece on a canvas, Zembo finds true complacency in creating works of art.

At age 7, Zembo enrolled in oil painting classes and was able to transfer her ideas into tangible works of art.  Because she comes from a family of athletes, Zembo paused her art career in order to follow her family tradition.  She balanced athletics and art by bringing sketchbooks to basketball practices and games.  Zembo ultimately chose to focus on her love for art and put sports behind her.

“I find myself listening to music for hours, and I have notebooks of poetry and doodles everywhere,” said Zembo.

Zembo’s creations revolve mainly around music, specifically rock and roll and 90s grunge.  Upon hearing this type of music, she forms an image in her mind and allows her pencils, pastels, sharpies and acrylic paint do the rest.  The lyrics of Kurt Cobain, Milo Greene and Florence Welch never fail to inspire her.

“I get so lost in [Welch’s] lyrics; sometimes I feel like they are written just for me,” said Zembo.  “Her song ‘Breath of Light’ makes me feel like I can accomplish anything.  I used her songs a lot to get me through the obstacles in my life, and I created some of my favorite paintings listening to her.”

Musical artists and designers Brandon Boyd and Oliver Sykes inspire Zembo with their unique clothing lines.  She aspires to emulate her idols and one day sell her own one-of-a-kind clothing pieces to the public.  When drawing on denim she usesthe lyrical expressions of Kurt Cobain as her muse.  She starts with a favorite lyric or song name and begins to

decorate around the quote with doodles of punk symbols and sometimes uses studs to enhance the design.  She also does the same work on T-shirts and acid washed pants.

“The vocalist of Bring Me the Horizon, Oliver Sykes, is a great inspiration because he actually made his own [unique] clothing line,” said Zembo.  “I love that when I draw on clothes, I’m wearing what I feel, and I carry it with me.”

Zembo is excited about one of her recent paintings, an abstract portrait of Neal Cassady, an American poet who was a prominent figure in the psychedelic movement of the 1960s.  Zembo continually experiments with the many dimensions of abstract art.  While she tends to draw in black and white, she finds that color adds flair to her art.

Creating paintings and clothing allows Zembo to find solitude and display admiration for her favorite musicians. She plans to continue expressing herself through art for years to come.