Students at Skyline have been working hard this year. Hundreds of students are enrolled in art programs, and many of them are very passionate about it. This year, students have been busy drawing, painting, sculpting, and much more.
Jay Stembridge is an AP Ceramics student and has been interested in ceramics for six years. They said, “I have always needed this special interest in ceramics.” This year they have been busy on their AP Portfolio. Every student chooses an idea for a story, and by the end of the year, they should have fifteen pieces to show. “I’m making 3D art but focusing on the 2D aspect. So I paint plates, that’s my big thing,” Stembridge says. They also decided to combine historical styles with ceramics in a unique way. They explained, “I have been applying more of these fine art aspects and applying them into ceramics. I have been doing cubism, surrealism, emphasis, impressionism, kinda all of it.” The way that these aspects are being shown is something Stembridge thinks is missing from history.
Halie Oldham is another art student at Skyline; she is taking Advanced Drawing. She does drawing, animation, concept design, and more. Oldham has been doing art for most of her life. She stated, “I always was interested in [drawing], but I got back into it again at the beginning of middle school, and it’s just getting better.” Oldham feels that the classes she takes at Skyline have been helping with her skills. “With every project I do, I learn more. I did a lot of getting faster at drawing. Just getting things out and being okay if they aren’t perfect,” Oldham said.
Having inspiration is something that many artists struggle with. Rain Xu, a drawing student, said that Lady Gaga and caffeine help the most. Stembridge gets inspiration from their AP Art History class as well as Nathen Krueger, the Ceramics teacher at Skyline. “I usually go up to Krueger and lay on the ground, and I go ‘KRUEGER!! I can’t think of anything’ and then he tells me to make something, and I go ‘okay’ and then you go and make it,” says Stembridge. Lastly, Oldham searches for inspiration elsewhere and sees where she can apply it to her art.
These students are currently improving their skills and want to move it forward to their future. Stembridge decided to “try the art thing for a second” and go to the University of San Francisco. They said, “I am double majoring in studio art, with an emphasis in new genres, and entrepreneurship and innovation.” Oldham is still a Junior but already has ideas about college. She said, “I want to go into digital media, so anything with modeling or character design would be cool.”
Art students are one of the most unique groups at Skyline, and they have a lot of passion for what they do. As Stembridge says, “Life is too short to not do the stupid things.”
