Before she even picks up a paintbrush, Dahlia Wallace builds an entire world. The UW-bound senior’s AP Art portfolio has garnered interest from Prep students and teachers alike this past year, with her large and colorful canvases covering the walls of the art room. Despite the beautiful final products, the process for Wallace is not necessarily a conventional one, and she doesn’t start to paint until hours into the project.
Described by her AP Art teacher Ms. Petty as “complex and beautifully chaotic,” each piece in Wallace’s portfolio begins with a diorama that she constructs as the foundation of her creative process.
“For each new painting, I create a different scene inside of a black box” Wallace said. “I use a lot of recycled materials, as well as toys and figurines to bring my vision to life.”
Her models incorporate several different mediums to accomplish manifesting her ideas, with the senior including collages to act as a background.
Wallace stated that the 3D element of her painting process is the sustained investigation of her portfolio. First using the method earlier this year as a part of her artwork, she credits it as helping her understand a scene better. “I think dioramas are a lot more dynamic and include more elements rather than just a flat image. There are a lot of moving parts in my paintings, and the physical space allows me to understand the depth more thoroughly.”
Despite Wallace having never explored the medium until this school year, her paintings have garnered significant attention. One of her AP Art peers Gio Martinez ’27 noted that “talent isn’t enough to describe her,” with Ms. Petty adding that “her quick growth is immensely impressive.”
Having mainly drawn with a limited pallet, Wallace described the change to acrylic paints as overwhelming: “when you’re drawing, you are limited in the spectrum you can show, but when you’re painting, you basically have infinite color.”
Having drawn for many years, mainly filling up sketchbooks, she said she always had an interest in AP Art. She specifically credits Sofia Jiménez ’25 as an inspiration, sharing art window together. “I remember seeing the sketches she did, and how they became paintings. I really admire her work.”
Observing past year seniors in AP Art, she felt “they were in their element. I have a passion for creation, and I knew taking the class would make me happy.” Now, Wallace hopes she can inspire others to chase their ambitions in art.
In a room full of finished paintings, it’s easy to focus on the color, the scale, or technical skills. Wallace’s work asks for a deeper look. Behind every canvas is a constructed world, built piece by piece before a single brushstroke ever lands.
What sets the senior apart isn’t just the final image, but the intention behind it: a process that turns imagination into something tangible, then transforms it again into paint. As she prepares to take that creativity beyond Prep, Wallace leaves behind more than a portfolio; she leaves a new step in the process. Throughout her AP Art portfolio, Wallace’s pieces show that sometimes a painting doesn’t start on the canvas at all.
