Brilliance of a Still Life

Students in Painting I are creating a still life for their final project. A still life is a work of art that depicts an arrangement of inanimate, everyday objects. It also elevates ordinary, inanimate objects into canvases for deep storytelling, technical mastery, and meditation. This assignment instructs students to use oil paints in complementary colors like blue and orange, red and green, and purple and yellow. Freshman Ella Gauerke, a student in Painting I, explains that her favorite part about making her still life is “the blending of the background…because oil is a unique medium to work with, and it’s a lot smoother and easier to work with than other paints.” Her least favorite part, however, was “only getting to work with complementary colors and not the full color range.” This intricate and precise final project seems like the perfect way to end their class year.

From Clay to Masterpiece

Students in Ceramics I, a hands-on fine arts course in which students learn to design, construct, and glaze functional pottery and 3D clay sculptures, are making bowls and a coil vase for their final project. To make the vase, students must roll uniform lengths of clay, attach them to a flat base, and stack them. To make the bowls, students place their clay on the wheel, making sure to add water to the clay so it prevents the adhesive from sticking instantly, so you can easily slide, reposition, and smooth out any trapped air bubbles. After applying water, students begin the process of shaping, put their pieces in the kiln, and finally glaze the pieces. Freshman Braedan Holberg, a student in Ceramics I, explains his favorite part about this project: “It’s pretty simple all around to do, and if you mess up, it doesn’t ruin the whole project. And it’s usually fun to do and fun to make things that you can actually use, and I like it because you get to work with your hands and tools that are fun to use.” One thing he doesn’t like about this project is that “it is easy to mess up. If there is an air bubble and the clay gets fired, it will blow up, and it will ruin your project.” Overall, ceramics is a good step away from screens and textbooks; it blends creative expression with hands-on, tactile learning, especially for high school students.