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Twisting the strands of her streaked-purple hair between her fingers, Palo Alto High School senior Erin Riley recalls her experiments with various art mediums such as acrylic, oil paint and watercolor back when she was younger.

“[I’ve] always really [been] into art,” Riley said.
 

Riley’s passion for art began in the second grade.
 

“My parents realized early on that I [had a passion for] art and they encouraged [me to contiue],” Riley said.
 

Then, in middle school Riley began to take art classes outside of school. Art became more than a simple hobby.
 

Over the years she has branched out into different painting styles, from acrylic to watercolor to oil paints, Riley is on her way to mastering the paints. 
 

In high school, Riley took “Beginning Photography,” “Art Spectrum”, followed by “Drawing and Painting 1 and 2” with Paly art teacher Kate McKenzie.
 

This semester, Riley is enrolled in “Advanced Placement Art” and “Advanced Photography.”
 

“[My teachers have given me] a lot of personal attention in the last two years [of art class], so I’ve gotten to develop a voice for my art,” Riley said. “I have a really great teacher.”
 

McKenzie met Riley for the first time when she was a sophomore, and believes she has grown a lot as an artist over the years.
 

“I remember Erin [back then],” McKenzie said. “She was sweet and gentle but also really concerned about doing things beautifully in art.”
 

However, seeing Riley’s artistic style develop over the years, McKenzie believes her art has developed an independent style.
 

“She’s left behind doing everything the way the books say to do it,” McKenzie said.
 

In her art, Riley expresses issues that many women constantly struggle with: body image,

inequality and insecurity.
 

“I’m really interested in a lot of social and political issues and [they] influence my art,” Riley said.
 

McKenzie feels one of Riley’s best pieces is her “scale piece.” The painting is black and white, depicting a mangled body of a girl laying down in front of a large body scale. (See painting in the second row on the left). The image is dark, representing the issues that many women have with body image and how insecurities can be dangerous.
 

“She really has a deep sense of wanting to make things better in the world or address things that are not right in the world,” McKenzie said.
 

Some of Riley’s other pieces include a naked woman screaming with her hands on both sides of her head.
 

One painting must stands for a time in Riley’s life where she and a friend were fighting. It shows the profiles of two girls, one dark blue and the other fiery orange.
 

The emotions, feelings and events that Riley references in her paintings are not only inspired by different artists, but also by her friends, family and people she has met over the years.
 

“I find inspiration all over the place,” Riley said, “Inspiration means something that can make me think in a different light because that's what art is about.”
 

Since art has been such a big part of her life for so long, Riley decided to apply to few art colleges.

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Though she may not exactly know where she i headed next year, Riley’s art  will continue to emerge.​