BEST EXPLAINED BY SARAH OH

Hi, Ms. Sposa!
I just recently finished my second term at art center with a 3.85 GPA!!! (Only one B plus, but all A's other than that!!!! YAY!) 
It was a really tough term and I had a lot of tough projects that I've never done before, but I'm really excited to present to you the one final that was the most challenging for me.
The final was to create a piece that was LARGER than you on a material that you've never used before.
So for this assignment, I decided to do a lifesize portrait of myself on acrylic glass.
The front side will be realistic and it was all done in oil paint!
The back side is supposed to be like my "insides" with a lot of small little dog creatures running around inside my body. And for my brain, it's just a large toad!
I wanted to utilize the glass aspect of the piece and to do that, I made small windows in my body so that the viewer could look through the glass!
It was really a challenge to get that 5.5 feet tall piece of acrylic glass to stand upright, so I had to make these large wooden stands to keep it upright.
I've included some process pictures of the piece to help showcase just how much brainstorming I had to do for the piece HAHA

After seeing these pix that Sarah sent,

I couldn't even imagine coming up with something this critically thought out at such a young age.

And then to actually pull it off.

My hat is off to you my dear.

Your talent and gift assound me!

Thank you for sharing with all of us.

ALUMNI ART

Sorry I've been away for so long,

my family and I flew to the big island of Hawaii for my son's wedding,

so I took a couple of weeks off my blogging to enjoy all the festivities.

But I will try to be more present from now on.

I really wanted to show off this monumental painting by 2018 Alum,

Sarah Oh.

I believe this was her first time working this large.

I also believe it is her 2nd or 3rd self-portrait that she has painted of herself.

And I'm guessing it is oil.

Sarah,

could you please fill us in more thru the comment section on this work,

and what was required of you. 

In every work that Sarah has ever done for me (whether in clay or drawing/painting)

 she managed to bring in her love of animals or fish.

I believe it will be known as her signature style when she becomes famous,

as I know she will be one day.

Once again,

thank you for sharing yourself with us here Sarah!

EYES ON SARAH

Heads & Hands Class at Art Center

The teacher had us draw our faces 

with certain facial muscles exaggerated in acrylic ink using a cross hatching style.

This week I have to do another one with an orbicularis oculi muscle.

What the heck is that Sarah??

2018 Alumni Sarah Oh,

superstar art student extraordinaire here at Whitney for the past 2 years,

recently sent me her latest pieces 

from her 1st semester at Art Center School of Design in Pasadena.

I am astounded by the way she has captured her face and hands,

and of course also bringing in her signature style by adding animals into the work.

These are fabulous Sarah.

Thank you so much for sharing them with us!

Now I'm hoping 2018 Tiffany Chen will also send us the work she is doing there alongside Sarah.

They are rooming together

and loving the school and already telling me how much they are learning.

I'm so excited for them as they begin this next journey.

SELFIES

SELF PORTRAITS

INTERMEDIATE 2-D ART

mixed media

This was the last assignment of the year for my 2 level 2-D kids.

After 2 years with me they are ready for their first real self-portrait.

The medium is up to them.

I suggested doing it in something they were really successful and comfortable working in.

Several of them choose to combine two or more media together.

Like senior Mayala Sithichai.

She's got a whole lot of goodness going on here.

Ink washes, pen & ink, and tissue collage over top cardboard pieces.

I really like how she thought to lift up the tissue collage

so that it sits higher then the drawing.

It leads our eye right into her face.

She also did a beautiful job matting up the work.

This next delightful one belongs to senior Ayesha Durrani.

It's so sweet how she choose to work from a photo of her and her little brother.

I hope this went right into a frame when she brought it home to mom.

She is using watercolor with pen & ink.

An aside:

Ayesha is a huge Disney buff 

so I love how she drew Peter Pan & Captain Hook on her shirt.

She tried to incorporate a bit of Disney into all her pieces.

This next selfie is of senior Jazzarie Lo.

What a great photo she worked from of herself.

So very expressive.

They had a choice to look in a mirror or draw from a recent pix.

Jazz used charcoal with an oil pastel accent.

Next up is junior Samantha Tan.

I'm pretty sure this is a pix she took with her best friend.

You can feel the fun & the love between them

Adorable Sam!

Samantha used watercolor with charcoal and a bit of colored pencil, 

and her border was done with liquid acrylic paints.

We all loved this one by senior Kevin Mao.

The picture was taken at Senior Retreat,

but not sure if the kids built this shelter or if it was already there.

But I love how someone captured him relaxing after what looks like a long hike.

Kevin used watercolor and pen & ink.

Next up is this very complex piece by senior Eileen Lee.

This photo was also taken at Senior Retreat.

It's got such a wonderful atmospheric quality about it.

You can see what a competent artist Eileen is.

This has the look of a children's book illustration with all the fun details

and playfulness you enjoy in children's books.

Eileen is using watercolor and pen & ink.

To achieve that atmospheric look she did a bit of stamping and wispy brushing 

with a white watercolor. 

You can see the stamped circles below.

We end with one more piece by Mayala.

Her first one we saw above was finished ahead of schedule so she had enough time for a second one.

I love that she did because I feel like this piece is quite brilliant.

It is watercolor with pen & ink, 

done with great skill.

But the kicker is how she mounted and extended it into no man's land.

LOVE!!

And...

how she's melting away.

So much content for us to play with.

Just beautiful,

and a great way to end the year.

SAYING GOOD-BYE IS HARD TO DO

SELF PORTRAITS

INTERMEDIATE 2-D ART

watercolor, charcoal & colored pencil

The end of the 2015-2016 school year has finally come.

I wanted to end it with this group of students from my 2nd year 2-D class 

because this is such an important assignment.

It's not easy doing a Self-Portrait,

no one wants to take that close a look at themselves,

so I save this assignment for the end.

Plus it takes all of the skills they've learned throughout the past two years to pull it off.

I asked them to work in their favorite medium,

and not try something new.

Let's see how they did.

Senior Kyla Balquin got really brave

 and painted now only herself but good buddy senior Sitara Pul in watercolor

from a pix they took at Senior Retreat.

She really captured their likeness in a very soft & delicate way.

Beatuiful Kyla!

Senior Bernice Lin is looking super thoughtful in this portrait 

as she takes a look back at her school years with friends and brother Derrick.

Bernice chose to work in charcoal using the eraser technique she learned this year.

Brilliant work Bernice

And lastly we have senior Risha Bhakta.

Risha loves combining watercolor and colored pencil.

She did it very successfully on another piece earlier in the year.

And it's brilliant how you filled in the backdrop inside of just leaving it white.

And what an adorable photo she worked from.

Fantastic job kiddo!

We've come to 

THE END

of the 2015-2016 school year.

I'm so very proud to have been able to show off so many of my students from this past year.

I hope all of you have enjoyed the journey with me.

There will be one final post with a look back at the entire year 

with candid shots of the seniors.

I call it the Senior Farewell 

and I will probably work on it during Xmas vacation.

But in the meantime,

 I shall finally introduce you to the students and their work from this school year.

I'm only 3 11/2 months behind schedule

LOL

Hopefully I will be able to get caught up in a timely manner.

MEET THE MASTERS

SELF PORTRAITS

INTERMEDIATE 2-D ART

mixed media

As we reach the end of the school year,

I require my 2nd year kids to end with a Self Portrait.

The medium is up to them,

I recommend the one they are the most comfortable in

(this is not the time to try something new).

They are also allowed to mix their mediums if they want to.

So let's start with the junior Master,

Elias Rodriquez.

He began this very important piece in watercolor

 and bought in an ink wash that created a great border treatment,

for an eerie atmospheric quality.

And my eye is caught on his expression and trying to figure out what it all means.

Really thought provoking piece!

Next is senior Master Nathan Chong.

I feel he's really managed to project attitude in his portrait 

through the use of both watercolor and graphite,

for a very dramatic piece.

And lastly we end with senior Master Michael Cantu.

Michael is known for his landscapes that he tries to incorporate into all his works.

He has perhaps given us his best yet here in this portrait.

And he has so nailed his face.

Super realistic,

something very difficult to do in watercolor.

All these boys are Masters in my eyes,

and I can't wait to see where their skills will take them.

It has been a pleasure to share them and their work with all of you this year!

Express Yourself!

SELF PORTRAIT COLLAGES

BEGINNING 2-D ART

paper collage & misc. embellishments

I use this assignment for the 1st Quarter Final so that my students can put together all the 

Elements and Principles of Art within a Self Portrait Subject Matter.

They have so many hoops (requirements) to jump thru as they build these pieces,

so that a lot of critical thinking is involved.

The finished pieces are truly remarkable as you will see for a beginning art student.

When Oceans Rise by junior Hapshiba Kwon, 

is a great example of how wonderful these pieces turn out.

Check out the person she created and baked from polymer clay,

the build up of tissue layers, 

the strategically places beads.

And can you find the bit of text she was required to insert?

And how it all follows together for a unified piece?

We will see a lot from Hapshiba this year.

She is a natural who loves to create. 

Junior Katherine Ku has made this powerful piece and statement with

  Love in the Middle of a Firefight.

She has chosen a monochromatic color scheme which really makes the work pop.

Again,

 check out the layers of paper collage which gives the piece a bas-relief effect 

(another requirement)

One of my personal favorites,

Stitched Back Up,

was done by senior Melissa Lanto.

She has included all my favorite fibery things.

But Melissa, 

I believe,

 is using them as a metaphor for a deeper more personal message.

Junior Kyla Balquin spent countless hours building Under the Surface.

She totally gets across her message that she's drowning under all her responsibilities,

but that there is hope.

I feel this is a great assignment for the kids to express themselves.

Scatterbrained by junior Hazel Cruz is so visually pleasing to me.

Love the use of the two color schemes side by side 

(warm and neutral),

and that she felt comfortable enough to draw in her margins with pen & ink,

which adds a bit of quirkiness.

Here we have 8th grader Olivia Krueger with The Breaking of  Facade.

For one so young she is sending out a strong visual message 

through a gorgeous color scheme,

 text and embellishments.

Another 8th grader in the class,

Sara Ryave,

in Descent into Insanity,

is really showing us the inner struggles of our youth today.

Again,

a powerful way for these sweet young ones to express themselves.

The message in Sideshow Attraction by Lily To really broke my heart.

All I can say is "Wow!"

And that she has created a lovely,

yet sad and painful,

  glimpse in to her world.

Senior Cyrus Salvani in Lost in Translation,

 has created so many beautiful layers for us to enjoy through his piece.

Love his neutral color scheme,

the masks that float around the focal point,

and then how he rubbed charcoal around his margin for a striking effect.

Talk about a work that pops and grabs you!

In Risking It All by 8th grader Rochelle Serrano,

we feel her descent into the abyss,

but then look at how she's fabricated the beautiful lifeline thru feathers and twig.

These kids are really brilliant at such a young with their brutal honesty.

One of my new favorites 

(yes I know, no favorites)

 junior Bernice Lim,

gives us a fun lighthearted and yet

 dark and charred glimpse into her inner struggle in 

Look Into Who I Am.

I adore that she built her distinctive red eyeglasses

 and incorporated them into her work.

So the second you view this piece you know it belongs to Bernice.

And lastly we have senior Karisma Dev.

I asked the students to give me bas-relief.

Well Karisma delivered in Before All Else.

Love how she has designed a book-like structure with pages.

And on the last page a pix of she and her little sis.

What a beautiful Mother's Day gift this will make framed out in a shadow box.

Hint...hint  :)