“They’re making observational paintings from photographs,” our Upper School Art teacher explained as a group of Class 10-12 students collected their works-in-progress and settled around the long tables, black smocks protecting their clothing.
With soft music playing from a laptop speaker, the young artists in this popular FOCUS class – appropriately titled “Painting” – immediately relaxed into a creative rhythm, squeezing white tubes of acrylic paint onto scrap paper and blending kaleidoscopes of color with small spatulas. Within arm’s reach were also a selection of paintbrushes in plastic containers, cups of water for rinsing, and spray bottles to keep the paint moist.
Ahead of this unit, the students had learned about the magnificent world of color and the warm and cool shades and endless tints and tones it embodied. They demonstrated their understanding by designing individual color studies, which entailed painting the same simple scene with different color treatments. Examples of the students’ color studies, some featuring daisies, mushrooms, umbrellas and abstract waves, were on display in the room.
To prepare for the current lesson, class members were asked to choose a photo that would serve as the inspiration for their paintings. Selecting the image was completely up to them as was their artistic interpretation of it. While the goal was to paint from observation, they were welcome to copy the picture exactly or offer their own spin.
As the students mixed colors, they looked closely at their reference photos before swirling and dotting their brushes onto the medium-sized canvases. A few relied on a laminated color chart, and their teacher’s guidance, to arrive at the perfect shades.
Their impressive pieces, representing each person’s unique vision, portrayed a dizzying array of subjects, including an atmospheric oceanside cliff, an elegant glass bottle, a luscious green leaf, expressive human hands, a wall of eye-catching graffiti and many others.
Throughout the period, the mood in Room 614 was supportive and calm. The students chatted quietly as they worked, sharing supplies and praising each other’s efforts. “Does anyone want light blue or light green?” one asked the group. “Yours is better than the actual photo!” another said to a classmate.
Their teacher paused at each table to observe and give suggestions and encouragement. “Nice highlights. You’re getting better at blending,” they said to a student before also complimenting another: “You’re on a roll. It’s looking really beautiful.”
As the period moved along, the students appeared to thoroughly enjoy the opportunity to explore, challenge themselves and have fun. Enhanced by colors like raw sienna, ultramarine blue, cadmium yellow and quinacridone magenta, their canvases were coming to gorgeous life.
For about half of the students, “Painting” was their first foray into this rich medium as Upper School students. Like Chapin's other FOCUS courses – “2-D and 3-D Studio Art” and “Drawing” – no prerequisites are required to enroll. Thus, beginning artists and those with varying levels of experience are successfully developing and honing their painting skills together. “You’re all so focused, engaged and patient,” remarked their teacher.
With 10 minutes remaining and a class coming in the following period, the students swiftly joined forces to clean up their tables, wash their hands, and store their work in a stand-up divider to dry. Many had nearly completed their paintings; others would finish next time. All seemed lifted by this imaginative morning in Upper School Art.
