At all levels, art can be a beautiful form of creative expression and statement. Any medium can be a canvas for the imagination to thrive, and every work has a story to behold. The Mycenaean interviewed several different art students in Ms. Meeks Beginning Visual Art course to gain insight into their creations and their perspective on the importance of art expression as a whole.
"South Korea"
What inspired you to create this piece? “My heritage. I’m Korean, and my family is from South Korea. It’s important to me because my parents and ancestors endured wars and cultural change. They’ve worked really hard to get me to where I am, and I wanted to work hard on this piece as well. I felt like I was representing them through this piece.”
What positive outcome did you see through this piece? “I got a really good grade on this project, and I discovered more art techniques through it. One of these was Tempera paint, I got to work with it for the first time and I enjoyed it.” - Jess Lee/Freshman
"Colours"
Describe this piece: “This is an outline drawing that includes positive and negative space. [For these], you fill the background, or negative space, with a pattern.”
What inspired you to create this piece? “I chose colors that I like, and a pattern that I thought would look really cool with the contrast of white and the other colors I chose.”
What was the meaning behind creating this piece? “I was exploring different art outlets here. I wanted to see how the colors looked together with a variety of different shades and backgrounds.” - Lily Styons/Sophomore
"Space"
Describe this piece: “This is a portrait of my friend in Maryland. She has a lot of insecurities about herself, and I wanted to show her that she’s better than the things she may think about herself. This piece basically represents her; she’s really into space, and the colors represent her outgoing personality. I hope that the piece can help boost her morale and self confidence.”
What would you say to students looking to take art over the next year? “It’s not that big of a deal, just have fun with it! This was my first time using pastels, and I thought it came out pretty well.” - Deena Manna/Freshman
Kim Tran: Aspiring Leesville Artist
Tran poses proudly with her charcoal portrait of Bill Skarsgard. The piece that earned Kim a scholarship to the Academy of Art University in San Francisco (Photo Courtesy of Lucy Leen).
Leesville senior Kim Tran has recently been accepted into the Academy of Art University in San Francisco. Not only was Tran accepted into the Academy, but she was also chosen as a scholarship recipient for the work she entered in a competition. Tran is planning to attend the Academy and continue to build her career as an artist.
“My favorite aspect of art is the fact that you can express your emotions any way you want on a piece of paper, you’re making a visual representation of your feelings,” said Tran.
The Arts and Education
Sydney Diemer, senior, paints during Ms. Meeks’ Art 1 class. The arts are an undervalued department despite the influence it has on a student’s education (Photo courtesy of Jonathan Spear).
School strives to provide students this canvas to express their imagination. But is this canvas good enough? Read on in page 5 of the Mycenaean’s December edition to find out.
Undergrads
In the world of hit TV shows and blockbuster movies, there lies a new era of film that has started to emerge. One that does not require million dollar budgets or the casting of A-listed actors but requires a camera, a few people, and a decent editing software. This is the age of small, creative projects.
One such example of this is the budding new show “Undergrads” based in Columbia, South Carolina at the University of South Carolina (USC). As an independent project, the start began with just a few friends and an idea.
Because the show is consistent of college students, “Undergrads” encomposses a fun, yet serious atmosphere. Actors are given the freedom to play with their lines and make them sound more natural to the character. “Being on set is a great experience. Everyone wants to learn and grow in their position, but we also want to have fun. Goofing off can make for long filming session but it's all worth it when it's balanced with the hard work everyone in the cast and crew puts into this show,” said Hollerung.
From an artistic standpoint, “Undergrads” can hold as inspiration to any aspiring actor, writer, or director. It represents a change into the new world of film, one that didn’t exist 15 to 20 years ago.
Hollerung said, “As an actor, I can learn so much from small creative projects. Without a big Hollywood budget, these small projects are raw and contain a whole new level of freedom and honesty that you don't see in large box office or cable pieces. Today, anyone can make a film. It may not win an Oscar or an Emmy, but it could inspire change in the film industry or even the world.”