Sara Conroy, Arts Editor
@sconroycourant
Olivia West, Features Editor
@oliviawcourant
From the Fall Art Show to the Through Our Eyes Carriage Barn exhibit and the Senior Art Show, art students at the high school nearly always have something to look forward to and a way to display their work for all to view. Since the schools have shut down due to the global pandemic of COVID-19, however, people can no longer walk through the lobby and glimpse the hard work of our peers. While the art shows have been halted, artists have continued to paint, sew, and sketch while quarantined. From AP art students to people who just picked it up as a new hobby, the creation of art at our high school hasn’t stopped.
Junior Katherine Moroccu has been experimenting with repurposing old clothing that she finds around her house this quarantine. “All the vintage clothes in my house that need salvaging inspired me. It helped me unwind, and I have more plans for clothing-related art projects,” she said. “For the shorts, I used acrylic paint. The pattern is something I doodle on a lot of school work but have never used in a real art piece before, so I was excited to try it out.”
Junior and AP Studio Art student Dylan Lee has used art as a source of enjoyment during this quarantine and has found inspiration for her latest art piece from an unexpected source. “The Geico gecko inspired this piece, and I wish I were kidding, but I’m not,” she said. “I made this piece using colored pencils and focused a lot on the details and making sure the colors were vibrant. For example, I chose black paper to work on, so the colors would pop more.”
Junior and Star Wars fanatic Ethan Jones was inspired by a scene from one of his favorite Star Wars movies. “I wanted to draw something meaningful, something with a story behind it,” he said. “I chose Luke Skywalker confronting the entire First Order at sunset. Not only was it a beautiful spectacle, but there was a beautiful story behind it too: he was confronting his failed apprentice, and nephew, Ben Solo, now known as Kylo Ren.”
“Capturing this story in the piece was very important to me, and to draw it I pulled up a piece of concept art from the film for reference,” Ethan said. “Art definitely takes my mind off things and allows me time to slow things down and relax.”
Junior Val O’Neill has always liked to draw, but the quarantine pushed her to try different mediums and techniques, such as painting and using colored pencils, and to get inspiration from different places. “One of the pieces is a technique where you color something so it looks ‘thermal,’” Val said. “I’ve actually seen something like this on Instagram and TikTok, so that’s what made me try it.”
Eighth grader Charlotte Beecher has also been making art during this quarantine and recently been inspired by her love for animals. “Art has made quarantine a lot more manageable and fun,” she said. “It keeps me sane when everything seems really crazy.”
Junior Elizabeth St. George only started painting because she wanted something to do during quarantine. “I was looking for ways to pass time in quarantine and also try to learn a new skill,” she said. “While I’m not very good, it can be stress relieving, it fills time, and it’s super fun.”
Because this quarantine leaves many with a feeling of excess time on their hands, learning a new skill or even just practicing an old one can be a great way to avoid being bored. “I’m glad I made the decision to start painting,” Elizaabeth said. “Now, if I’m ever bored or need something to do, I can always look forward to painting and making a new piece.”
