Appreciation Post, Class A

 

 

Breno understands the importance of observation and makes it apparent in his work.  He has genuinely improved on his observation skills as his artwork improved in his sketchbook through the year.  This occured due to his persistent engagement in class.  He does not back down from challenges and gets fabulous results.  

Beatriz made some fabulous design choices when assembling her stuffed animal; she used a used dress for underbody of her fox due to the lack of felt.  She also attached a friendship bracelet for a tail.  Add some buttons and you have a friend for a young person.  Great job! 

Gabby has always taken class seriously and is now getting serious results.  She has provided evidence of engagement, observation, expression and persistence.  This Bluey drawing is down with vigor and the desire to create.  It is bright and bold.  She goes beyond!  

 

Harper is someone who pays a lot of attention to design and the state of things; she is prone to cleaning up and sweeping the floor, going above and beyond to help the art class.  This attention to detail is also very apparent in her art, as she is never content with the bare minimum.  It is important that her figures have specific shirts, a specific look.  It is this attention to detail which is why she is such an amazing artist.  I will miss you, Harper!

Harper brings innovation and hard work to the class by bringing together the friendship bracelet with the weaving to create a bookmark tail.  Her craftsmanship shows elegance, with the bookmark being almost a perfect straight line.  her patience as made evident in the art will serve her extremely well moving forward in life.  

James loves to explore and does not back away from challenges.  Here using masking tape, paper mache, paint and a cup he creates one of his favorite athletes.  James is also dynamic and capable of capturing emotion in his figures, as made evident here with Bluey and Mom.  

I simply adore Ariya's Surrealism dream shrimp, magnified here for detail.  I have been honored to slowly watch both Ariya and Mylie work together and find joy in creation.  With each project, it became clear they were celebrating their abilities to make new images and pleasant objects.  I hope Ariya's joy of creating never goes away.  

Lillian has taken Dali's "Paranoic-Complex Method" to new heights.  She drew in her sketchbook a cloud that looked like a whale and then magnified it and colored it in to make an "air whale".  This air whale is delightfully surprising and unexpected.  It is painted with care and decoration, as the clouds become swirls.  It is clear to me that Lillian was enjoying creation, which will serve her very well in her future.  I will miss you Lillian!

There is a logic and a clear influence of deconstruction drawing in Emily's work as the elements of a beach house break down to shapes.  Emily has done more than just make a drawing here, she has created a vivid world of her desired future.  It is an appealing place with lots of details.  The beach becomes so much more not because there is hyper realistic shading, but because there are starfish, crabs, grains of sand, the drawing is busy!  It is almost like an essay in visual form.  It has been a pleasure to be Emily's teacher and I hope that illustration and art continue to be a part of her life.  

Jackson's work can be enigmatic and even darkly humorous, but there is a warmth and earnestness in all his work as well.  His paintings are done with such conviction, he is prone to painting straight through the paper.  He works very well with line and his work made in Dungeons and Dragons class inspired a whole community.  I hope he keeps on making art for himself and us. 

Allie came to Monomoy making rudimentary stick figure art and is now leaving the middle school with the ability to imagine her future house in 3D.  It has been touching to see so many dream houses surrounded by lush nature and tranquility.  Allie is a serious student who has made progress due to her efforts.  She will be dearly missed. 

Ajenhnae expresses emotion very well here in this extreme close up of Bluey.  She brings a persistence to her red painted papers and her deconstructed drawings.  I hope she continues to make art and bring what she's learned about design in class to everything she does and makes.  Great job!

Bella is a pleasure to work with.  She has natural artistic instincts, such as using the entire paper and holding the sketchbook back to make sure everything she wants to draw can fit.  She is open minded and her work branches out into various materials and mediums.  She has an easy going attitude, but remains engaged, persistent and productive.  I will miss her and know she will make great things in high school.  

Mia's work shows evidence of engagement, persistence, developed craft, exploration, expression, imagination and community outreach.  Thanks to her seriousness and her courageousness, she has pushed herself to make an adorable stuffed animal on an elegant bookmark.   This is some exciting work.  Great job.  

Chet is fun and imaginative while remaining engaged.  Get to know him long enough and an intelligent sense of humor becomes apparent. He has found a way with each assignment to express something he finds appealing and funny.  This positive attitude will bring him far in life.  

 

Autumn's work is ambitious, intricate and pays attention to the details. She has explored all the assignments and made them her own.  She is occupied through the whole class and has made works that reveal someone who loves to draw.  I hope she continues to share her work and make these fun pieces.  

What is so exciting about Dex's dream house is it is a vision of the future that is positive.  The house is large, but modest, and sits in fields of green and in front of majestic mountains.  It is agrarian and rural.  It seems tranquil.  Oil Pastel was a hit for Dex and I hope he continues to work in this medium.  

Jaxson's spiral coaster is labor intensive and eye catching.  His color choices are exciting and bold.  This is a student who loves working with their hands and has a craft beyond his years.  This is a very time consuming activity for anyone who has ever made a friendship bracelet or sewn a coaster.  Great job.  

Mason went above and beyond sewing hacky sacks and pillows.  He expanded the types of embroidery he is capable of.  This was just one of the materials he worked with, he is also an active painter.  His paintings are bold and fearless; he never gives up on an assignment and always completes them his way.  

Nahla's work is careful, modest, earnest and intentional. What she shares is brilliant and shows evidence of developed craft.  With more practice, she will be able to draft impeccable drawings of people and things and just about anything else she puts her mind to.  

I love this sunset by Mylie because she started really looking at how sunsets appear.  It is not a "cookie cutter" sunset with a simple gradient of yellow to orange to red.  Instead, the colors interchange and interact.  This is evidence of observation and exploration.  This is evidence that art, when done with intension and joy, can make beautiful things.  

Ilea's sketchbook is a piece of art in and of itself.  Each camera angle drawing is done with such integrity to communicate that the page feels electric.  She is a brilliant designer and her pages are thrilling to look at.  No part of the paper is not taken advantage of, every corner is covered with images that surprise and delight.  The tonal range of her pencil is vast.  She is a born artist but more importantly, it is clear she loves to make.   I will miss her.