The Art Room - Original Writing

“This is where you can find your soul, if you dare.” (Anderson, pg 10) This belief comes from the mind of the Melinda, the progantists, art teacher, Mr. Freeman. Art is truly a door to the mind of an individual, showing things that people aren’t able to say. It shows through images and colors what many people aren’t able to express in words, events and thoughts speaking through the medium. Art is growing as a use of therapy to heal and tell. Psychologists analyze their patients art at a psychological level, interpreting the image into words. One of the theories in art therapy, which is seen throughout “Speak”, is the idea that unconscious thoughts are expressed in an image. (Irvings)These images then can be explained rationally. Melinda’s three major art images, the half dead trees, turkey bone, and cubism represent this theory.

As an individual who’s been drawing and painting since before she could even hold a pen – apparently, I used to spill my grandma’s tea and make shapes with it – art has always been my favorite pastime. It’s tranquil and relaxing, and mixing paints is the most satisfying experience. Thus, it’s no wonder that the activity that I’m most invested in is art.

Throughout my early teen years, I was exposed to different mediums of art and discovered that I could express myself through more channels than just paper. Although Barry found comfort in her 11 x 17 newsprint and some paint, I was able to focus my energy on making music and taking photographs. Without my art teachers, I wouldn’t have the expressive outlet I do today. My childhood was not filled with unhappiness as Lynda Barry’s was, but from both backgrounds, we found a warmth from the exposure of art that the educational system gave to us.

Art helped me learn to express the feelings I couldn’t say and during that time period and I choosing to study it is the greatest decision I have ever made. Art is the reason I live now. It gives me hope, happiness, and an ability to escape. I love how it can change my view and to make me feel things. This year one of my illustrations was hung in the Museum of Contemporary Art: La Jolla, and I could not be prouder.

Art was a way for students to express their inner thoughts and views creatively. For senior Lauren Mabe art was a way to express herself in various ways. Students’ artwork was inspiring to many and held significant meaning. “Art is a form of personal expression. It teaches everyone how to observe life in every detail. It teaches people how to develop concepts and think more deeply about a topic. As an artist, art creates a form of pride- there is nothing better than stepping back from something you have created and saying ‘Wow, I actually did that!’ The only thing better than that feeling is when someone pays you for it,” said Ms. Wilson.

Yet it takes piles of cliche, over-simplified sketches with only the extremely distinct aspects of your focus to clarify exactly what object you are drawing to finally begin to learn how to truly see what you are looking at. With practice (and an incredible, patient, encouraging art teacher) you learn how to separate what you know from what you are seeing. Starting with copying a signature you are taught to simply flip it over, transforming what you are recognizing in your mind as letters into unidentifiable lines. By doing this it becomes easier to learn how to separate what we know from what we are seeing and mutes the side of your brain telling you to draw what you know, allowing you to copy the shapes and curves of the line without being influenced by what your mind is telling you what you are seeing. By continuing to learn how to separate what you know from what you are seeing you become aware of every little shape, line, and shadow, allowing you to move away from cliches and learn how to draw what is truly in front of

It was my freshman year of high school when I took Drawing A; I quickly learned that I had a skill that I had previously ignored and began embracing it. Sophomore year, though, was when I truly started using my art. It was during this year that I received a 4 on my AP-Studio Art portfolio, and won four awards at Scholastic Art and Writing in photography. Art gave me a feeling of accomplishment that I didn’t usually get in the rest of my academics, so I always tried my

The pencil liberates my stresses and sorrows. Bare and unimpeded, my mind is able to isolate itself from anything that was happening in my life. At my art table, which is merely an escape from reality, my curiosity is able to wander. Within this room, five blank canvas's look in on me as I become a mold of my imagination. A step inside my world develops into a sea of color and exploration. The vibrancy of the walls resonates throughout. Over the years, my room has served as my oasis. It’s my escape from monotonous and mundane routines. It’s my exploration of another side of me. I observe such works of art almost as much as I create. Taking notice of my classmates’ innovations and inspired by their creativity, my paintbrush begins to alleviate stress. I strive to produce pieces others will appreciate, but often find myself to be the true admirer. My pride, in this world, is driven simply by my own curiosity to express myself. I credit this side of me as the “passion” that supplements my insane drive for success. This passion has sparked critical thinking in me as well as how I see failure. Life is a blank canvas and you can truly draw whatever you want, and if you fail, you start over and don’t make that same mistake again! Hard work takes ideas quite far, but true success is derived from ingenuity and the generation of

I’m sitting at my computer, ignoring pages of economics homework and mugs of cold tea now strewn about my desk, as I search for a direction to go with my life. Such was was my predicament several months ago. It’s undeniable that I’m an artist, hard and true, for a pencil found its way into my hand as a child, and no desire of mine nor of the universe ever tempted it to pry away. Throughout my earliest years and memories, I maneuvered with graphite, paint, and crayon every adventure that I ever dreamt of pursuing. Oh, I was a resilient child, as well, who refused to take part in any art class at school or as an extracurricular for an abundance of years, as I was invariably convinced that I could learn all I wished on my own accord! Consequently,

I’ll admit, sometimes I wonder myself. Hence, I looked back at all my drawings and dug up a bit of my past, and found my answer. Like many others, I was coloring pictures with my Mom and drawing little stick figures as long as I could remember. I loved to do it back then, and even now that trait has been carried along. Eventually though, as I grew older, the art-lover in me started to die away, games and outdoors filling the void. However, of course this mind set did not last. Long days out in the hot sun get boring and you just need to sometimes do more restful activities. In approximately late 2015, seeing a younger kid coloring just as I had once, gave me a burst of sudden inspiration. Alternatively, this time coloring was not what I had in mind, and getting a piece of blank paper, a suitable board to rest it on, and a pencil, I set to drawing. Back then, my main interest was in animals, specifically wolves. Though wanting to draw a wolf, I didn’t know how, and not sharpening my skills the past years my art was beginning to look a little sketchy. Popping up Google on my I-Pad and searching for how-to-easy videos, when I saw Art ala Carte’s how to draw a cartoon wolf pup, I knew that was the one. Finally, many Art ala Carte videos later, my bed was then filled with papers on

Phil nodded in understanding as he gave Dan a mug and settled back down on the sofa to watch Netflix again. I took a sip of the hot chocolate and continued to draw. I glanced up at "my inspiration" and saw him smile at the tv. I smiled too and continued drawing.

Art school showed me several things I did not know about myself. Like how visual arts is ingrained in every bone in my body, and that I yearn for a concoction of academics with visual arts. Here, academics were enjoyable, while on the contrary, what felt extremely demanding was the art aspect. Art school reminded me about minor failures that would transform into drastic dramatic catastrophes. As a result, it also reminded me about my friends, all of which thought I was too meticulous. They were right, often I would make an immense deal about a minor failure then completely attempt to make it flawless the second time. Thus, high school made me realize how detail-oriented I was and how my perfectionism often required the best of me. Even in the most

Art has been my passion since childhood. Spending three years within the teaching environment was where I thought I belonged. Before receiving my Bachelor of Fine Art in painting from Metropolitan State University of Denver a personal experience that connects to my reservation and adoption into the Clinical Mental Health program was one of tragic loss. On January 9, 2002, my son’s life abruptly ended and during the grieving process I started expressing myself through painting. In searching for serenity, individual counseling became enhance. Finding a therapist with a background in marriage and family/art therapy became a visual depiction, a self-portrait symbolizing my external realities and internal emotions immediately following his suicide. Driven to face an extremely irritating and stressful paradox to the best of my ability while trying to keep the constitutional need to endure my life as fully as possible.

My hand was sprinting across the page with charcoal in palm, and the finish line of my sketch was in sight. The image of a model’s face was quickly appearing, and the proportions of her eyes-to-nose and ear-to-mouth were just right. Proportions of the human face were something I learned in art class, whereas the details in her eyes were something I learned in anatomy class.

With the utilization of visual and performing arts, students can begin to enhance their personal growth. By producing original works, enjoying the time spent on the piece of art, and having a sense of pride in one’s accomplishments, an art student will experience an increase in self-esteem and confidence (Importance). A child who receives praise for their art work from parents and teachers will most likely be more positive in their artistic abilities. For example, when a child brings a painting home to his parents and his parents react with smiles, cheers and display the picture on the refrigerator, the student will in turn feel very proud of his accomplishments. This newly found self-esteem and confidence often expands into other subjects at school to the overall benefit of the individual. Participating in art is also a way for students to