Art Extended

Tianru Wang

Staff Writer

Numerous artists dedicate countless hours refining their skills, but their time is not solely spent in a romantic, faintly surrealistic fantasy world. Many student artists participate in extracurricular activities that utilize their artistic abilities. These classes, which can help extend an artist's skills, are seen by many as beneficial.

“Any art experience benefits the students and the class because it provides new ideas and techniques,” AP Art teacher Amy Bouse said.

According to seniors and AP Art students Leonardo Lawrence and Edie Côté, the intensive UCLA Summer Program, which costs around $2,000 and offers college credit, has exceptional art courses.

“UCLA taught me truly how to work, completely immersing myself in the painting process for nine to 12 hours at a time. I had never spent so much concentrated time working in a studio, and I realized that putting in these hours is really the only way to see results,” Lawrence said. “It was possibly these two weeks that have most developed my style and how I see myself growing as an aspiring painter.”

Côté, a student of Drawing and Photography, improved her mastery of mixed media through the course.

“One thing that my teacher advocated a lot was the implementation of lots of different media into one piece and that's one skill that I took away from the class,” Côté said. “I grew to be fearless of unfamiliar materials.”

Senior Sara Skerritt studied character design and head drawing at the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena over the summer.

“At Pasadena Art Center I really felt like I belonged and could get in the zone,” Skerritt said. “The specific classes I took over there widened the techniques I use [especially for proportioning]. Character design helped in entire body proportioning when relating to caricatures and/or an age.”

Senior Chloe Wong, who has participated in Ryman Arts, School of the Art Institute of Chicago Early College Program and School of the Museum of Fine Arts pre-college program, recommends pre-college art programs in general.

“School of the Museum of Fine Arts pre-college program was the most enriching in terms of expanding my artistic practice and really gave me insight into how art schools work,” Wong said. “Constantly being challenged and making new art not only taught me new skills, but also ways to think and express my ideas that I had not been aware of before.”

twang@thesamohi.com