Explore-Discover-Experience

Art By Camryn M, grade 12

SKSS Kamloops Calendar Exhibition & Fundraiser 2017 

     Explore-Discover-Experience, Kamloops 2017 exhibition and fundraiser celebrates the 11th year of this unique opportunity for youth to represent our community through artistic vision.

     Beginning with a class presentation from Monica Dickinson and Ken Levin of Tourism Kamloops, South Kamloops Secondary art students consider the importance of promoting aspects of Kamloops by discussing attractions, activities and things to do in our City.  With this in mind, each student painted an individual interpretation of discovering, exploring, and experiencing tourism in Kamloops and surrounding area.  After the acrylic paintings were completed, images for the printed calendar and cards were selected from a special community jury:  Anyssa Gill, Kamloops Art Gallery, Art Instructor; Tara Look and Rachel Lewis, Tourism Kamloops; and Mr. Blake Buemann, SKSS Vice Principal. 

Over 40 student paintings are on view at the 

Sagebrush Lobby Gallery until December 16, 2016.  

Please consider joining our community reception on Wednesday, December 7th, 2016 at 6:30 pm.

Art By Celia F, grade11

In addition, printed calendars and cards will be available for sale at the Kamloops Art Gallery Store, The Art We Are, Tourism Kamloops and South Kamloops Secondary School Main office.  This year, students will be selling calendars at the December 3rd Blazers Hockey game.   Proceeds from the sales of the calendar and card fundraiser will support a donation to the BC Interior Community Foundation and future SKSS Visual Arts student initiatives.

Art by Miranda M, grade 12

Art by Lyle L, grade 12

Art by Jessica L, grade 11

Art by Katie H, grade 12

Lessons in Art History

Collaborative Art History Gridding Investigations, Studio Art 11/12, SKSS

The Great Wave, by Hokusai (original colour woodblock, 1829)

The Old Guitarist, by Pablo Picasso, 1904, oil painting
Collaborative Gridding Acrylic Painting, SKSS

SKSS Art Students assemble the finished work!

Recently, I had the pleasure of connecting with a former SKSS art student who is currently studying design.  As an art educator I am always interested in art and design university studies; however, our conversation quickly turned from the content of university assignments to the importance of art history. Evidently, this vibrant alumnus argued a personal passion for why young students need to study and investigate aspects of art history. 

 

Painting Inspired Sculpture, grade 10-12

Dali, The Melting Clock                                     Edvard Munch                                                       Edvard Munch, Madonna

Art teachers have always looked to the masters for inspiration in the field of art education.  Further, keeping art history exciting and meaningful to current students tends to be the challenge or we risk the classroom quickly turning into an ‘art in the dark’ slideshow lecture.  In this sense, my brief conversation questioning the need for more art history lessons personally inspired and influenced our art making process and artistic investigation this year at South Kam. Specifically, we learned more about symbols in visual language and aspects of gathering clues through images to reveal what was important to people from the past.

In fact, I encourage you to join Ellen, my former student, online sharing her passions for art history through her growingly popular Instagram feed: @arthistorylesson.  Thank so much for the lesson, Ellen!

Personal Images Inspired by the paintings of Edward Hopper, 

Drawing & Painting 11/12

Plaster Frescos, Grade 9/10 

Investigating Portraits, Studio Art 11/12

Clay Monsters: Collaborative Containers

     Highlighting South Kamloops Secondary student collaborations this spring begins with the fantastic clay work of artist, James de Rosso.  De Rosso shares his creative ceramic monsters while providing an inviting platform for teaching basic sculpture techniques, including forming, joining, blending, and texturing.  In addition, monster themed art making allows for unlimited and imaginative possibilities as inspiration for clay creations.  With this in mind, student artists from both Lloyd George Elementary and SKSS collaborated together to create unique Monster sculptures.  

     The outcome of our art making is a playful collection of student work mindful of the many techniques and problem solving skills that occur when hand-building with clay.  The success of our collaborative project is not only partaking and guiding art making activities, but perhaps most importantly, student collaboration provides an an opportunity in develop community.  Building a connection with our neighbouring elementary school provides a shared and common link between both elementary and secondary students.  However, as SKSS art students continue to engage in shared learning with Lloyd George Elementary art buddies what is most meaningful is the compassion and caring atmosphere students create in the artroom.

Thank you to Mme Stafford’s grade 3 class from Lloyd George.  You worked hard to create a fantastic group of clay monsters! 

Visit artist James de Rosso at :  www.monster8all.com

SKATE IT! OR HANG IT?

South Kamloops Secondary Art 9 & 10 students are thrilled to share our finished skate decks!  Students worked hard to complete personalized images which reflect a diverse range of technique and concepts.  All involved enjoyed working local Kamloops artist Vaughn Warren, who guided the project from beginning through to completion instructing students with specific airbrushing techniques.  Reflecting on our completed project, we would like to recognize and thank many individuals and groups for supporting our unique adventure of inviting a working artists into the SKSS Art Department.

Firstly, we would like to thank Ms. Caroline Hilland, Vice Principal at SKSS.  Ms. Hilland, in collaboration with Vaughn Warren, developed a specific grant proposal to funding the skate deck project through ArtStarts.  By connecting artists to work in classrooms, ArtStarts supports the development of enriching learning opportunities in visual arts by supporting artists in school programs.  Thank you to ArtStarts for funding artist Vaughn Warren.  Also, a huge Thank You! to OLIVE Skateboarding for their continued support of student artists in Canadian schools.

Most importantly, we would like to thank Vaughn Warren for his artistic expertise, energy, and enthusiasm engaging student learning.  In addition to airbrushing techniques and individual idea development with over 55 SKSS art students, Vaughn shared aspects of his portfolio through a collection of past and present proposals and finished artworks.  In sharing his current work, Vaughn introduced students to an active process of a working artist.  The students were surprised and excited to recognize local artwork created by Vaughn.  In fact, one student realized her family had purchased one of Vaughn’s paintings!  It is a wonderful connection for students to identify artwork in our local Kamloops community.  Throughout the project, students embraced Vaughn’s friendly personality and approachable teaching style – enthusiastic to have his advice and opinions on their working designs.  We are grateful to Vaughn, as an exemplary artist-in-residence, who engaged SKSS students through an opportunity to develop new skills, connect to the local artistic community, and create meaningful artwork.

Lisa Yamaoka & SKSS Art 9-10 students

Maison de Lumiere: Kinder clay!

Sculpture & Ceramics students shared their slab building clay techniques this January by working with Mme Upshaw and Mme Linthorne’s Kindergarten class from our neighbouring elementary school, Lloyd George.  Students paired-up to create a ‘Maison de Lumiere’ focusing on aspects of texture and hand-building sculpture techniques.  As collaborative activities often witness, the artistic process becomes an opportunity in our school community to build a brief and meaningful relationship between the teenage artists and their newly acquainted Kindergarten friends.  SKSS art student Katherine R. reflects on her experience working with the Kindergarten students:

Kids are really creative and ready to try new things, which is why working with the kindergarten class was so cool.  It was really interesting to see how much their houses varied in size, colour, and in general how different they were.  They all were very excited and enthused about working with clay, since for many of them it was their first time.  They also got to paint their houses with ceramic glaze.  Many picked their favorite colour and layered it on the entire house!  For someone who loves kids this was such a cool opportunity to talk to them while teaching them something new.  It was privilege to give back to the community in such a unique way.

We would like to thank our Lloyd George Kindergarten friends, teachers Mme Upshaw and Mme Linthorne, and librarian Mme Cauchon, for such fantastic participation and sharing in our creative art-making collaboration. 

SKATE IT OR HANG IT?

Deck Designs!

Students at South Kamloops Secondary have a unique opportunity this semester to work with an artist in residence: VAUGHN WARREN.  We are thrilled to have Vaughn, from Kamloops BC, work with grade 9 and 10 art students, guiding us through the process of airbrushing artwork on skate decks.  This project has been made possible through ArtStarts in Schools, by providing grant opportunities that promote a connection with youth to professional arts experiences in the classroom.  In addition, we are thankful to OLIVE Skateboards for their support of visual art programs in Canadian schools.

As we begin our journey in creating upwards of 50 painted skate deck designs, I have asked grade 10 student Bailey S. to share our process to date:

Over the past few weeks, we have been working on designing a finished copy for our skate decks, starting with a small wire frame of a skateboard, subsequent colour models, leading to a full sized blown-up skate deck copy. Vaughn Warren, a local artist who is working with our class, is sharing his expertise teaching aspects of design and airbrush mediums. 

Airbrushing seems like a difficult technique to work with.  Unlike sketching it is harder to erase and especially when you learn a new art style, the first time you actually create a piece isn’t always the best.  Some of the kids in my class were apprehensive to the idea, not knowing if it was something they would be good at or enjoy. Others, including myself, were super excited. I quote one of my friends in the class who was weary at first, “... suddenly it hits you. This is actually happening; you can make your own skate deck, and you can keep it!”

Creating a successful skate deck will take time, direction, and artistic considerations.  After we finished a contour drawing of the final design, we moved on to creating colour models colouring many photocopies of the original design.  Finally, we blew up the image in hopes of soon transferring the design onto the skate deck.  This process requires students to think ahead, plan, and consider more ways to look at one project idea.    

Reflections of Kamloops - 2015

Reflection is an active process of witnessing one’s own experience, surroundings, or environment.  In taking a closer look at our community as a place of inspiration, students exemplify aspects of environment, geography, and wildlife as significant and personal Reflections of Kamloops.  In this sense, art students were encouraged to identify, reflect upon, and capture the unique and richly diverse community of Kamloops.

The completed paintings in this exhibition have been framed and artist statements have been prepared by SKSS art students.  In addition, a selection of these artworks will be printed as a fundraiser in a full-colour 2015 calendar.  

Please consider joining us for our opening reception:

Sagebrush Theatre Lobby Gallery

Wednesday, November 12^th, 2014
6:00 – 7:30pm

Student presentation at 6:30pm