Artist of the Week: Sophia Wehrman

When Warwick Valley High School sophomore Sophia Wehrman moved to the Warwick Valley school district last year from North Rockland Central, she already knew that she wanted to pursue a future in the visual arts. Having expressed her interest to the WVHS guidance team, her counselor enrolled her in Foundations in Art, a full year honors-level studio art course for incoming freshmen.

“Yes, I had Sophia in my Foundations class last year,” said WVHS art teacher Nicole Sisco. “Obviously, it was my first time working with her, and she came to the district and was just, already, exceptional.”

Wehrman said it was her eighth grade art teacher who inspired her deeper academic exploration of her passion.

“She was the person who gave me the confidence to take more challenging courses,” Wehrman said. “So, with Foundations, honestly, I didn’t know what it was, I just knew it was advanced. But, when it started, I realized that it was something I would want to do.”

She first started creating art even before she was in school. When she was very little, she would spend her time drawing whatever captured her attention and sparked her imagination. In elementary school Wehrman began taking every art class available to her and never looked back. Her passion has been driven by the inspiration and encouragement she’s received throughout her life from teachers and artists in her own family.

“My aunt really inspired me. She’s an art teacher in Rockland County and really helped me,” Wehrman said. “And my great grandfather was a good artist. A lot of his art really inspired me. It’s been interesting to have someone be a great artist in my family.”

Wehrman’s aunt and great grandfather both work in realism, a style that she favors as well. Sisco points out, however, that Wehrman demonstrates an ability to pick up new styles and media quickly.

“Not to mention that every opportunity I give her, she’s excited. She absolutely jumps at any new adventure,” Sisco said. “And she does have this gift where she can genuinely work with any medium, and that’s very special. Right now, she’s exploring everything, she’s successful and motivated, and I just love that about her.”

In the Foundations class, Wehrman began developing her knowledge and techniques in a variety of different art styles and media.

“My art style is mostly realism, you know, like landscapes,” she said. “As I’ve gotten better, I started using different techniques, trying to learn new things. I really feel like I found myself in that class.”

One of her Foundations creations was a piece entitled The Stolen Iris. It was completed as part of a class assignment to present realistic anatomy in a surreal way. The piece impressed Sisco so much that she convinced Sophia to enter it for consideration in the 2025 Scholastic Art & Writing Awards, where it won a Silver Key Award. Wehrman also contributed work to the 2nd Annual Monarch Village & Pollinator Festival last June at Park Avenue Elementary.

When she isn’t making art in class, Wehrman can likely be found making more art.

“Yes, it’s, like, all my free time,” she said. “At home I paint, I sketch; anything that interests me, really.”

Her love of the creative life and dedication to it is obvious not just in the quality of her work, but also in her disciplined approach.

“Sophia’s work ethic is exceptional! She would come in during any study hall period she had last year. She’s such a self-starter,” Sisco said. “She’s fiercely motivated and I love everything she does. And if I give her any critique, she doesn’t take it as a personal attack, she takes it and reflects and thinks, ‘How can I make this better.’ That’s such a positive and rare thing for some young artists.”

Now a sophomore, Wehrman is enrolled in Sisco’s ceramics class and is looking forward to new challenges this year will bring.

“I’ve wanted to take ceramics since last year, so I’m excited to be in [the class] now. I think I’ll probably look into helping with Empty Bowls. But really, I’m just looking forward to all of the new projects and seeing where else I can maybe submit my art.”

As someone who cannot say enough about the meaningful influence of art educators on her own life, it’s no surprise to learn what Wehrman’s own long-term career goal is.

“I’m looking forward to becoming an art teacher,” she said.

And as someone who has been part of that influence on Wehrman, Sisco is confident she can achieve it.

“I feel like everything she does is incredible,” Sisco said. “The sky’s the limit for Sophia.”