Sophia Rey

2022 Tinney Family Arts Scholarship recipient

Newport, RI

artist’s bio

"I am grateful for the chance to talk to you about my art, but first, I would like to tell you a little bit about how I got here.  I have been home-schooled for the past 8 years (although, “Travel-School” is what we call our non-traditional homeschool). 

My elementary and high school years were a combination of travel experiences, both on land and sea, paired with literature and high-level academics. We visited over 70 art museums around the world. Prior to our travels, we would study a country’s history, economy, religions, and art, and then we would go there to see first-hand what it was like. I have studied Gaudi in Spain, Caravaggio in Italy, and Cezanne in France. 

I did not know at the time what an enormous impact this unconventional education would have on me. As I transitioned into the world of high school life and sports, my immersion in different cultures led me to an interest in International Studies and Foreign Affairs.  So I joined Model United Nations and a high-level debate team, where the topics of world politics ignited a real flame for me. 

As an oil painter specializing in portraits, I think a lot about the human race. Studying faces affords me space and time to understand people and ask myself, ‘Where are we different, and… how are we the same?’  It is an illusion that we are really so different from one another. An idea that I would never have arrived at without being truly immersed in other cultures, then noticing our alikeness on my canvas.

In the future, I do not know what kind of artist I want to be, but I do know that I want to use my art for social issues that are larger than myself. Starting in the fall, I will be connecting my passion for international studies and social change, with my devotion to art and portraiture at Connecticut College."

Sophia graduated in 2022 from Newport RI Homeschool with a 4.0 unweighted GPA. She was on the Rogers High School Sailing Team for all four years of high school, and sailing team captain for two years.  Sophia has been an MLK Center volunteer for eight years and is a Div II Volleyball State Champion. In addition to majoring in Studio Art and International Relations, Sophia will sail as a skipper for the Connecticut College Sailing Team.

Connecticut  College is a private, Liberal Arts college located in New London, CT. (https://www.conncoll.edu/)