The students presented below are students that have shown exceptional skills in art.
According to their teacher, Jill Gamble, “They excel in their classes and their art is always above the standards set for them.”
These students, who are in her advanced art class, met many of her expectations last semester and are hitting every mark this year.
Senior Paige Aston, an AP art student, chose to present this all blue oil pastel drawing of a horse based on the question, “Is it calming?” The artwork takes inspiration from BFRB, a disorder that is invisible to most people and doctors. The process of creating it was challenging, as she had trouble designing the sketches and trying to decide what she really wanted to convey through the piece. An art-related goal she wants to accomplish this semester is to try and think more critically of her art and credits being an AP art student to helping her start.
The advice Aston wanted to share with new art students at Minarets is, “don’t restrict yourself, don’t think you have to be perfect, and don’t compare yourself to others.”
Senior Aidan Millar-White is a recent addition to the Minarets art program who is also an aspiring artist. The painting we are presenting is an Acrylic Tree Painting that she created. She was inspired to create this art piece while watching YouTube. Though she did have low expectations going in, as this was her first-ever acrylic painting, she was able to create this beautiful painting that she is proud to share. In order to construct this painting, she used many different reference photos in order to get an idea of the design she wanted. Once she had the design she had envisioned, she began her painting process.
Through her work over the semester she has discovered, “Practice does make perfect and don’t be too hard on yourself.”
She also wants to pass on this piece of advice to freshmen or newcomers to the art world: “Art is all about intention and purpose and by creating an art piece that has meaning, it can become memorable to anyone who views it.”
Junior Carson Draper, decided to submit this drawing using colored pencils, depicting a girl lost in the woods and her need for survival.
There isn’t any particular meaning or importance to this piece according to Draper, he “just thought it looked cool.”
To create this piece, he first started on sketching the background, moving on to the main subject of the piece before going in with colored pencils. After adding a few final details, we are left with this work-of-art he decided to share with us. Draper’s art journey isn’t over yet, as in the future he would like to experiment and get familiar with digital drawing since he now has his own drawing tablet. He couldn’t think of any advice he would like to share with new art students, but we appreciate him taking the time to complete this interview.
Sophomore Madison Mikkelsen is presenting this digital drawing of two of her original characters in the snow. She had been thinking of creating her own story and decided to sketch out some ideas, the amazing illustration being presented to the right is just one of her best artworks. This piece is especially meaningful to Mikkelsen since during the creation process, it began snowing outside her window, forming a comfortable atmosphere and becoming a good memory for her to look back on. The overall process of creating this masterpiece was very calming for her; it was one of her pieces that didn’t cause her any difficulty because of how much she enjoyed the process of creating it.
During the creation Madison grew fond of her work, exclaiming how “easy and fun” it was for her.
In the future, Mikkelsen would like to become an animator and is planning to use the upcoming summer break to attend an animation class to hone her skills. She is also working as the artist in this year's mock trial case, which could potentially grant her a scholarship.
Lastly, Mikkelsen encourages new art students at Minarets that you should never doubt your art or compare it to others, that if you’re not confident in how your art looks, just give it time and patience.
“I feel like it took me forever to feel accomplished and happy with my art and I even took a two-month break from it because I was so upset that I wasn't seeing improvement. But, after finding tips online and referencing real-life images, I started to understand it more and feel more confident in what I was doing. So patience is key!” said Mikkelsen.