A stroke of paint, a smudge of charcoal, the tiniest dab of turpentine. Coppell High School junior Swarangi Potdar has infused art into all aspects of her life, from her two in-school art courses to multiple clubs and organizations in her own free time.

Potdar has immersed herself in multiple artistic outlets, finding inspiration in her academic and personal settings.

“I draw inspiration from everything around me – my family, my other hobbies,” Potdar said. “Outside of art, I’m in dance. Since dance has played a big part of my life, I incorporate a lot of elements of dance in my art.” 

Potdar took AP Art History and Drawing II as a sophomore and is currently in Digital Arts and Media and IB art. As art is the only IB course Potdar is taking, she must also take the Theory of Knowledge class; despite having to be in this extra elective, Potdar takes TOK without any complaints, as it allows her to experience the depth of artistic analysis within IB art. 

“IB art synthesizes both the disciplines of a studio course in Drawing II and the analytical, historical side of AP Art History,” IB art teacher Michelle Hauske said. “Right now, [Potdar is] diving deep into the subject of loss of innocence; she’s using that as a symbol in her artwork to not just create the story, but also put each character into a higher context. ”

Outside of her artistic pursuits in an academic setting, Potdar is a volunteer for the Teen Advisory Council for the Dallas Museum of Art. There, she helps shape the direction of how the DMA engages their teen and youth audiences. 

“Right now, we’re organizing a family festival where we celebrate the power of creativity and all the ways we make [art],” Potdar said. “We’re asking people to bring in cans and making a whole sculpture out of the cans. In the end, we’re donating them to the North Texas Food Bank.” 

Potdar’s fascination with art began as a childhood hobby, but it ultimately became an all-consuming passion in her life. 

“Like any other kid, my love for art first started when I was drawing on walls,” Potdar said. “Now, everything about art just draws me in. The most important aspect is self expression – being able to show ideas and concepts in my own way without having any limitations.”

The depth of feeling Potdar puts into her artworks is obvious even to her audience.

“Rather than just following an idea or just another topic, she knows how to put her feelings into her artwork,” CHS junior Harshini Akarapu said. “She paints with her emotions, and it really shows.”

Aiming to share her love of art with others, Potdar created a public Instagram account (@artisanspalette) displaying her favorite pieces as well as her own website, selling prints of her original artworks and custom commissions.

“I started my business because I wanted to do something more than just make art pieces,” Potdar said. “I want to see what others think of what I do and how I can make others happy through my pieces.”

For her future, Potdar looks to keep art as a driving force behind her career. As president of the Interior Design club at CHS, Potdar explores how she can incorporate studio art and spatial awareness as a profession.

“She’s someone who really wants to pursue art as a career, so she’s looking at it very seriously,” Hauske said. “She’s always looking into ways of deepening her art portfolio. With an interest in architecture and interior design, [Potdar] really likes exploring the functionality of art. Not just for visuals, but how people interact with it.”

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