Emma Nolan, Arts Editor
@emman_courant
As a sophomore, Olivia Germann has just begun her art career at New Canaan High School. Even though she has recently started art electives and contributing work to the gallery, Olivia has already started to make her mark at NCHS.
Ever since she was little, Olivia can remember drawing and creating different types of art. “I’ve always enjoyed doing art, so I knew I wanted to pursue it one way or another,” Olivia said. “I started when I was in kindergarten with coloring books and crayon sketches, but it wasn’t anything serious.”
Olivia’s mom, Victoria Germann, has been a jeweler since before she was born. With the art experience in her home, Olivia has been opened up to different forms of art and inspiration.
Ms. Germann has always encouraged Olivia in art, and was the first one to persuade Olivia to challenge herself just a few years ago. “My mom is a jewelry artist but she also is really familiar with other art forms,” Olivia said. “She thought that oil painting would be the best medium for me to start with as a new artist.”
Although Olivia has always had a passion for creativity, she has just recently started to go after her art career. “I never really never started to go further with art until seventh grade, when I started taking classes outside of school classes,” Olivia said. “I started classes at Silvermine Arts Center in seventh grade, electives at the high school, and I also took Challenges in Art (CIA) in middle school.”
In seventh grade, Olivia started her CIA program taught by middle school art teachers. She was taught the basics of art there, which set her up for a creative future. “In CIA, they let us create really whatever we wanted, so I produced a lot of different sketches,” Olivia said. “It helped me because I practiced a lot and got to improve on the little things”.
Starting with oil painting, Olivia picked up many techniques that she began to love. “Oil painting is very similar to acrylic paints and other paints, but the medium, which you use to thin the paint, is oil instead of water,” she said. “It’s very challenging to work with, but it’s an easier paint to maneuver and it gives you more freedom.”
Once Olivia became comfortable with her oil painting, she decided to sign up for an additional figure drawing class.
Olivia enjoys the freedom she is given in these classes because it helps her focus on different details. “In the figure classes they usually have you start with quick sketches so you can get the feel of the figure, and their movement,” She said. “After that, my teachers let us go and do our own thing, which is usually using charcoal or graphite.”
Entering the high school, Olivia has been able to open up to different mediums of art she has always wanted to explore outside of Silvermine. Starting off her freshmen year with drawing, with art teacher Jennifer Sinski, Olivia began to explore different art types and the visual arts galleries.
With a strong foundation from her drawing class, Olivia was pushed this year to take AP Studio Art, taught by art teacher Kimanne Core. Moving her artwork into more advanced types, Olivia has been able to learn a lot from her teacher. “Ms. Core was very helpful this year because she introduced me to new things. She showed our class pastels and how to use them, something I’ve never done before,” Olivia said.
“She encouraged me to use new tools and also taught me how to maneuver colored pencils in more of a sophisticated way.”
With her strong artistic background, Ms. Core has only good things to say about Olivia’s art. “Olivia’s strength as an artist is her ability to look and observe,” Ms. Core said. “She shows good techniques in her form”.
Ms. Core says Olivia isn’t afraid to jump into new types of art. “Olivia picks things up quickly and wholeheartedly,” Ms. Core said. “She masters technique on her own and is very self motivated.”
Aside from her art classes, Olivia has begun to learn art and practice skills on her own. Olivia admires old art, and uses it as an inspiration for her own. “I like a lot of older art, and I’m a fan of John William Waterhouse’s paintings,” Olivia said.
In addition to older art, Olivia uses modern art as a muse for her own. “I follow a ton of accounts on Instagram of artists,” Olivia said. “The content is incredibly varied. I see other artist’s work and think about how I could use those skills to create something of my own.”
Olivia is not entirely sure of her future in art, but knows she would love to pursue it. Olivia hopes to continue art at NCHS and possibly at college in her upcoming years. “I really enjoy art and I’m still developing my style,” Olivia said. “I will continue electives and Silvermine classes outside of school to learn more about the art that I can produce.”
