The visual arts program at Concordia encourages students to tap into their innate ability for artistic expression. Whether thoughtfully rendering everyday objects on paper or bringing dimension to shapes conceived in the imagination, students are learning to think creatively.
Examples of this creativity are now on display around campus, as students in Ms. Greer Collins' high school visual arts class exhibit their semester one works.
Foundations of Art: Within specific structural formats, students develop the artistic skills necessary for understanding and applying ideas of formal structure, art history and personal expression.
My Shoes
Foundations of Art 2021
On display in PC Lounge and 2nd floor HS hallway
Foundations of Art students have spent the first half of semester 1 working on their drawing skills, beginning with contour line drawing.
Contour lines define the basic form of objects and are the foundation of most drawings. This style of drawing lends itself well to stylized illustration techniques when also combined with weighted lines and texture.
Students were encouraged to create realistic representations by exploring the unique details of their shoes. They have brought them to life with shoe laces, logos, fabrics, stitching and pattern.
The Things They Carried
Foundations of Art 2021
On display in 2nd floor HS hallway
In this project students combined drawing personal objects with text to create conceptual self-portraits based on their own personal narratives. This assignment was directly inspired by The Things They Carried by Tim O’Brien, a novel that explores the physical, mental and spiritual things carried by soldiers in the Vietnam War.
Students listened to an excerpt from the book as they drew their backpacks - their physical objects. They then completed a reflection about what else they carry with them each day - mentally, emotionally or spiritually. This reflection served as the inspiration for the text-based backgrounds that personalize and bring their backpacks to life.
The unique backpack and personalized text-based art combine to create one-of-a-kind narratives about their daily life.
AL Design: Through the exploration of traditional design disciplines– textile design, fashion design and graphic design, students learn about process, concept development and studio production techniques.
Repeat Pattern Design
AL Design 2021
On display in 2nd floor HS hallway
What is a repeat pattern design?
A design for decorating a surface, composed of a number of elements, called motifs, which are arranged in a regular, repeating format. Repeat patterns can be found in products such as gift wrap, upholstery, carpeting, fashion and interior fabrics, wallpaper and much more.
To create successful repeat patterns, designers must consider color, texture, size, layout and the overall repeat structure.
As an introduction to repeat pattern design, students were given colored sticker dots in different sizes. They were able to cut, arrange and customize these dots into any motif. From there they scanned their motifs and digitally transformed them into original repeating patterns. For the exhibition, they have chosen their favorite motif and coordinating repeat pattern for display.
Ceramics & Sculpture: With a focus on concepts such as visualization, converting two dimensional ideas into three dimensional forms, consideration of surroundings and environment when creating three dimensional work, students creatively manipulate materials to achieve original works.
Abstract Relief Sculptures
Ceramics & Sculpture 2021
On display in PC Hall of Flags
Students in Ceramics & Sculpture studied the art works of Frank Stella as inspiration for these sculptures. Stella was a renowned painter for most of his career before drifting into more three-dimensional work. His paintings, which were known for their bold geometric shapes, bright colors and clean lines, suddenly started to project off the wall and take on a more sculptural look. His paintings began to look as if they were exploding with energy, dripping paint and moving parts.
Stella’s work is particularly good to study to understand how artists move from two-dimensional work to three-dimensional work, how sculpture really differs from painting and how artists can create something that is somewhere in-between the two.
At the start each student was given the same inspiration and the same materials, yet they have all created their own expression of a sculptural painting. Each unique in its energy, color and elements.
