Sahuaro offers several art classes, and the budding artists are working hard to create original pieces every week, even if they are not originally familiar with art. Many students who have never done much art before are given this class and really shine through with their amazing works.
Our beginner art students are working on colour blending techniques to eventually create a patterned drawing based on animals. They will first spend their time learning the techniques to colour blend, then they will spend some time learning how to create animal pattern ideas, and lastly, they’ll spend time on gesture drawings. Their final project is to add all these different things together to create their animal-patterned drawings.
Our intermediate art students are working on illustrations for definitions based on one of three different categories. Each category has something different for them to use to their will. The first category is to make one using an uncommon or archaic English word. The second category is to make one using a word that is “untranslatable” from a foreign language. The third category is to make one using a word from the “Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows.” Their finals may be coloured with pencils, watercolours, pastels, etc.
Our advanced art students are working on making their own 6-word stories that are highly emotive and may lead to an interesting visual. They are onto their finals and making really good progress throughout their pieces. This year, no one opted to make a 2-sentence horror story. They are already quite far along and producing excellent pieces, so there is no doubt they will be amazing by the end of their project.
Our AP 2D Design art students are working on a Sustained Investigation Project for their art portfolios by the end of the year. They are currently focusing on a theme/topic for their projects, but they are mostly doing their own thing with the project they have to work on. AP art students need to create their art portfolios because AP art classes work differently from normal AP classes. They do not have an end-of-the-year test to do; instead, those portfolios fill in that spot as a “test.”
As you can see, all of the art classes are working on very different things, but they are all doing wonderfully in those classes. Each one of our art students is doing their best, and it really shows in their pieces that are currently finished. Their completed art pieces are on display in the library for everyone to see and enjoy during their visit.
Our AP Art Teacher, Stephen Long, said, “All of them turned out great with what each student added to the overall pieces.” Ava Boydston, one of our art students, said, “My art class is fun because you get free supplies and you can sketch.”
