Name: Jordan Artim

Year: Senior

School: Tyler School of Art

Major: Painting

Home town: Bethlehem, Pa.

Why I chose Temple: "I took a pre-college course at Tyler and I absolutely loved it and loved the professor. Tyler was the only school I applied to. It's one of the nation's best art schools. The facilities were great, and the fact that Tyler is part of Temple gave me an opportunity to explore other things and have conversations outside of my school. I absolutely love the fact that Tyler is in the city of Philadelphia. Philadelphia has one of the most amazing arts communities in the nation."

Transformative moment: "For me, painting is everything. Ninety percent of my time at Tyler has been spent here in the studios, painting. This is my space, my home.

"I love to paint late at night. It's amazing to stay in the studio from 5 p.m. to 3 in the morning. It allows me to focus. I get lost in it. Everyone's off doing something else, but I'm by myself painting. I don't see it as work. I see it as an opportunity to practice. I'm here to learn. I'm here to grow.

"I like to work large-scale. Most of my canvases are 5 or 6 feet wide. There's something invigorating about reaching from one end of the canvas to another. My whole body is involved. It's like a workout. It's not something dainty — it's about putting everything you have into a painting.

"I just found out that I'm going to be of a juried an annual juried art exhibit at the William Way LGBT Community Center in Center City (up through April 5). The director of the Institute for Contemporary Art in Philadelphia curated the show. (More than 80 works were submitted; only 25 were chosen to be exhibited.)

"Being at Tyler — having conversations with professors, students and visiting artists — I've learned about the commitment and the dedication it takes to be a practicing artist. There's a constant push to do well and succeed. I've learned how to prepare and apply for shows. I've learned how to put myself out there correctly. Tyler has shown me a way I can continue to paint and make it a career. For that, I'm so grateful."