Well, we brought Sarah home from her latest JumpstART experience, and we couldn't be prouder. I am amazed at the sheer amount of art she produced in a three-week period! But, I'm getting ahead of myself...
Sarah's been in Corvallis, OR for the past three weeks at the
JumpstART pre-college art program, where she spent her time immersed in art, living in dorms, building her portfolio, and preparing for college. Like last year, it was a great experience, and I see so much growth in her as an artist and a person. Confidence and enthusiasm filled the car all the way home.
Sarah chose as her classes in two areas in which she felt she wanted to challenge herself. Painting, and Drawing and Modeling the Human Figure fit the bill. As luck would have it, she had the same teacher for both classes, an artist and instructor by the name of Kim Smith. Ian, the TA, was her TA from last year's sculpture class, so his was a familiar face. After spending 6+ hours a day in the same room, they all got to know each other quite well!
Just what does a college art classroom look like? It's filled not with desks and chairs, but with drawing horses, easels, and carts of art supplies. The floors are spattered with paint from past projects, and it exudes an air of creativity. Sarah gave us a tour, showed us her art, and explained the process of creating - in a very animated fashion!
Sarah's painting class gave the students an opportunity to paint mainly with oils. They learned the ins and outs of using solvents to thin the paint to the desired consistency for the effect they wanted to achieve. Sarah likes that, because it takes a while to dry, you can go back and "work" the paint the next day.
Sarah's first piece was a monochromatic self-portrait - a good likeness, I think, and nicely indicates lights and shadows. She says she used "turp" to take away some of the paint in order to get the lighter effects she wanted. Who knew?
This is a painting on wood that features complementary colors. Again, I love the reflection of light on the lemon, as well as its shadow.
The assignment here was to paint a diptych on canvases - one portraying an organic object, the other a man-made item. Note the similarity in that they are both long, rather straight items, yet the differences in texture are apparent. Also opposite are the background colors, yet the background textures mimic each other. I think she captured the lichen very well.
I placed these side by side to point out their similarities and differences, as well. The painting of the left is an abstract acrylic. While she allowed the paint to drip in its own fashion, it's still rather "tight" and formal in its structure. The landscape on the right, however, really shows that she loosened up and played with the paint more. I can really feel the movement of the piece, accomplished in part by using her fingers to move the paint around.
This last piece was her final project, in which each student was to paint a self-portrait, using the style of an artist whose name was drawn from a hat. Sarah's artist was
Alice Neel. Check out the
images here and see if you think she captured the artist's style.
Sarah's second class was a new experience for her in that the students worked with live models every day. Two models came in through the duration of the course, one male and one female. The first week was spent making lots of quick sketches and drawings. Various media were available from pencil to charcoal to ink.
The middle week, they switched to 3-D and modeled the figures from clay. I see a big improvement from her first piece (left) to her two later pieces.
Week three brought a final project, which was to use their knowledge of the human body and produce a self-portrait, sculpted in the medium of their choice. Sarah chose the trace her body, and used the tracing to form a wire outline of her body.
Besides going to class, the students' time was filled with lectures, workshops, and field trips. Here's a
newspaper article from the Corvallis paper with an item about a sculpture workshop.
There was time for fun, too. They watched movies, went to the beach, played games, and just hung out together. Her first week there, Sarah won a student poker tournament. I didn't even know she could play! (I wonder what else I don't know... Hmmm...)
The final evening, JumpstART hosted a reception, the students' art was exhibited in the campus art gallery, and awards were presented. Sarah was one of the Outstanding Portfolio Award recipients. Congratulations, Sarah!
Her roommate, Brooklyn, won for her portfolio, too. There was a lot of talent in that dorm room!
Maya, a classmate from ACMA, won a scholarship to attend JumpstART again next year. A good showing for the ACMA girls! Mr Brandau should be proud of his proteges!
So much growth, so many wonderful portfolio additions, so many new friends. Good memories, all. Keep creating, Sarah!
