Students Display Strokes of Genius Through Their Many Art Projects
Artistic talent is showcased in and beyond electives taught by Stacy Luskin and Annie Tobin.
By Lucia Valdovinos
Artistic talent is showcased in and beyond electives taught by Stacy Luskin and Annie Tobin.
By Lucia Valdovinos
For many reasons, art is considered subjective, however, one can hardly ignore the talent in Pioneer’s art program. While some students are drawn to the art electives for the sake of filling in the blanks in their transcript, many are drawn to it by their sentiment for creating.
The selection of advanced art classes this year has seen strong creativity, though to list every skilled student of art rooms 150 and 152 would take longer than paint does drying.
Advanced art students Natalie Burrill, 12, Eleri Kane, 12 and Piper Choe, 11, are all dedicated artists who display expert ability in their choice of mediums.
Burrill has taken interest in art since middle school and is now practicing her favorite art medium, clay, in advanced sculpture.
“I enjoy how freeing and gratifying it is to create art pieces,” said Burrill. “My classmates inspire me because when I see the beautiful pieces they create, it inspires me to make something of my own.”
Sculpture and special projects teacher Stacy Luskin has seen Burrill’s growth in sculpting over this past year as well as her talent in other creative outlets.
“She’s really creative in everything that she does, like what she wears. She’s in theater as well as visual arts and she's just one of the most creative students I have,” said Luskin.
As many artists know, there is always a struggle in creating an art piece from start to finish and being happy with the end result, and yet, Burrill has shown the drive to push through it.
“She definitely perseveres through the struggle, a lot of art is about the struggle. Right now she’s learning wheel which is pretty complicated and she just keeps going,” said Luskin. “Seeing her progression from the beginning to what it is now, it’s totally changed. It’s been really fun to watch.”
As the first place winner in the painting category of New Museum Los Gatos 2023 Art Now exhibition, Kane is now continuing her career in art by taking AP special projects.
Long-time Pioneer art teacher Annie Tobin has taught Kane since the start of the semester and has witnessed the high standard she has for her artwork.
“Eleri has a crazy ability to paint figuratively, and she's just fun, she enjoys what she does,” said Tobin. “I would say that she has a very sophisticated painting technique and style and I think that she’s able to do things with unusual perspectives to make her artwork compositions more interesting.”
Other than painting, Kane often finds herself drawing with just pencil and paper.
“I like using just a regular pencil since I always have one with me and it lets me draw whenever I feel like it,” said Kane.
Kane has been accepted as an artistic major by many colleges such as the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, one of the top fine arts colleges in the United States, and hopes to become an artistic director.
“I have always been interested in art since I was pretty young. My sister and I would always ask for blank pieces of paper since coloring books didn't let us do whatever we wanted,” said Kane. “I like being able to make whatever I want. Being able to put my thoughts onto a piece of paper in a way that makes complete sense to me is freeing.”
Another of Tobin’s students, Choe, is taking advanced placement 2D design. They find art in their experiences as a person, and is creative with their unique artistic style and use of materials. Choe mainly paints, but also uses cardboard, printmaking and ink as well as digital art.
“Piper has a very unique way of seeing the world. They see things that most people don’t really notice, and so they use those things in their artwork. Things that may be small and seem not important, they make them important,” said Tobin.
Choe’s idea of what is and could be made into artwork allows them to be a very versatile artist. Tobin has also seen Choe’s growth in their art from the previous semester to the present.
“So they’re exploring, and I think that’s a quality that an artist absolutely must have, is exploration. Being curious and being able to explore and take risks,” said Tobin.
Wanting to pursue an education and career in art, Choe has always had a greater passion for art as opposed to other subjects.
“What I like about art is that it allows for anyone to challenge the medium and discover their own unique style without having a binary ‘solution’ to it,’” said Choe. “I enjoy the simplicity of creating and it having an outcome of something entirely unique.”
The selection of advanced art classes this year has seen strong creativity, though to list every skilled student of art rooms 150 and 152 would take longer than paint does drying.
Advanced art students Natalie Burrill, 12, Eleri Kane, 12 and Piper Choe, 11, are all dedicated artists who display expert ability in their choice of mediums.
Burrill has taken interest in art since middle school and is now practicing her favorite art medium, clay, in advanced sculpture.
“I enjoy how freeing and gratifying it is to create art pieces,” said Burrill. “My classmates inspire me because when I see the beautiful pieces they create, it inspires me to make something of my own.”
Sculpture and special projects teacher Stacy Luskin has seen Burrill’s growth in sculpting over this past year as well as her talent in other creative outlets.
“She’s really creative in everything that she does, like what she wears. She’s in theater as well as visual arts and she's just one of the most creative students I have,” said Luskin.
As many artists know, there is always a struggle in creating an art piece from start to finish and being happy with the end result, and yet, Burrill has shown the drive to push through it.
“She definitely perseveres through the struggle, a lot of art is about the struggle. Right now she’s learning wheel which is pretty complicated and she just keeps going,” said Luskin. “Seeing her progression from the beginning to what it is now, it’s totally changed. It’s been really fun to watch.”
As the first place winner in the painting category of New Museum Los Gatos 2023 Art Now exhibition, Kane is now continuing her career in art by taking AP special projects.
Long-time Pioneer art teacher Annie Tobin has taught Kane since the start of the semester and has witnessed the high standard she has for her artwork.
“Eleri has a crazy ability to paint figuratively, and she's just fun, she enjoys what she does,” said Tobin. “I would say that she has a very sophisticated painting technique and style and I think that she’s able to do things with unusual perspectives to make her artwork compositions more interesting.”
Other than painting, Kane often finds herself drawing with just pencil and paper.
“I like using just a regular pencil since I always have one with me and it lets me draw whenever I feel like it,” said Kane.
Kane has been accepted as an artistic major by many colleges such as the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, one of the top fine arts colleges in the United States, and hopes to become an artistic director.
“I have always been interested in art since I was pretty young. My sister and I would always ask for blank pieces of paper since coloring books didn't let us do whatever we wanted,” said Kane. “I like being able to make whatever I want. Being able to put my thoughts onto a piece of paper in a way that makes complete sense to me is freeing.”
Another of Tobin’s students, Choe, is taking advanced placement 2D design. They find art in their experiences as a person, and is creative with their unique artistic style and use of materials. Choe mainly paints, but also uses cardboard, printmaking and ink as well as digital art.
“Piper has a very unique way of seeing the world. They see things that most people don’t really notice, and so they use those things in their artwork. Things that may be small and seem not important, they make them important,” said Tobin.
Choe’s idea of what is and could be made into artwork allows them to be a very versatile artist. Tobin has also seen Choe’s growth in their art from the previous semester to the present.
“So they’re exploring, and I think that’s a quality that an artist absolutely must have, is exploration. Being curious and being able to explore and take risks,” said Tobin.
Wanting to pursue an education and career in art, Choe has always had a greater passion for art as opposed to other subjects.
“What I like about art is that it allows for anyone to challenge the medium and discover their own unique style without having a binary ‘solution’ to it,’” said Choe. “I enjoy the simplicity of creating and it having an outcome of something entirely unique.”