Experiencing Art

by Nick D.

When the English class is working painfully on an essay, we are outside sketching the breathtaking scenery. When the History class is doing a long arduous test, we are softly stroking paint to create a portrait. And when some students are cramming for their test the next day, we are peacefully lost in the world of Renaissance masters like Michelangelo and Da Vinci. That's the best way to describe the experience of  taking art in CCI.

On the first day of class, I knew that I was going to have an exceptional time with my two other classmates Rianne and Lisa, and of course with our inspiring, talented teacher Mr. Stephens.

So far we have dove into the mediums of charcoal sketching,  watercolour painting, and acrylic painting with fantastic results! Some of our projects have included drawing a crumpled up piece of paper using charcoal, creating a photomontage using old National Geographics, and painting an image in 6 different styles. For this assignment, the images we each chose to reproduce were quite varied. We had Lisa's Lovely Lips, Rianne's Rambling Robot, and my Precious Penguins.

As I write this, we are currently working on painting a person, using a colour scale composed of black, white, and only 2 primary colours in between. Despite some criticisms of our own work, I believe that they will end up looking unbelievably awesome!

But art class isn't all fun and games, we have our hardships. Such as the exhausting nine flights of stairs we must trek up every morning, and after lunch! And then there's the room itself, which according to Mr. Stephens (as determined by a thermometer I'm sure) is the hottest room in the school.

The creation of the artwork itself is probably the biggest challenge. Although it is enjoyable and relaxing, it also requires immense concentration and patience. But there's always time to chill out to the occasional 80's classic, or to chat with some admirers from other classes. Unfortunately we are also very tough critics of our own work. If I had a nickel for every time I've  heard one of us say “it looks horrible” when the artwork really looks great, I would probably get air conditioning for the art room!

All in all, art class at CCI has been an inspirational experience so far, and is an environment for artistic success. We will soon begin work on our final project, and it it saddens me to think that this class will come to an end.