Solebury School Visual Arts Program Sept / Oct 2015 Newsletter

SOLEBURY VISUAL ARTS SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2015 THE PORTFOLIO/PARENT’S DAY ISSUE

WHAT’S HAPPENING IN THE VISUAL ARTS THIS MONTH AT SOLEBURY SCHOOL

WELCOME

WELCOME PARENTS!

BACK TO

The visual arts department would like to extend a hearty welcome to the parents of our very talented art students.

THE ART D E P A R T M E N T!

Haolun Liu ~ AP Art

Your children are enrolled in a wide variety of creative classes like Printmaking, Book Arts, 2D Design, Photography, Drawing, Life Drawing, AP, and Painting. Please take the time to stop by this Friday and meet us and talk about the work that has been produced so far in our department.

If you would like to see your child’s work take a walk to the Abbe Science building where you will find framed pieces hanging.

Additionally there is work displayed in the art room.

P O R T F O L I O

WHAT IS AN ART PORTFOLIO ?

Charlotte Martin~AP Art

An art portfolio consists of 12 - 24 pieces of artwork in any medium that you have created while you have been in high school. It may be pictures (jpegs) of your work or the actual work.Even students who ARE NOT applying to art school can & should submit a portfolio as part of their application if they are strong art students.

WHAT CAN BE INCLUDED IN A PORTFOLIO? You can include paintings, drawings ceramics, photographs, sculpture, videos, illustrations, jewelry, or any other artwork you have created.

Kate Voynow ~ AP Art

Leah Hunt~AP Art

WHAT FORM DOES THE PORTFOLIO TAKE? The form of the portfolio will depend on the school to which you are applying. Some schools will be happy with jpegs on a disc. Others will have their own online sites where you will be given an account and password for access to send jpegs. Others will require that you bring the actual work to the interview. You should ask the admissions office at the college to find out how they would like to receive your images. A simple email or phone call should answer this question for you.

WHO NEEDS AN ART PORTFOLIO? CAN YOUR COLLEGE APPLICATION BE STRENGTHENED BY SHOWCASING YOUR TALENT?

Ella Titus ~Intermediate Painting & Drawing

The answer to the question of who needs an art portfolio is fairly simple.

Obviously if you are applying to art school you will need an art portfolio.

If you have talent in the arts and have been making artwork during your time in high school it is worthwhile to take pictures of your work and include them with your college application even if you do not plan to take art courses in college. Your talent is part of who you are as an individual.Just as your involvement in clubs or sports defines you so does your interest in the arts.

If you are wondering if your work is “good enough” to warrant sending with your applications you can come ask Kirby, Erika, or Kevin.

WHEN SHOULD I START SAVING WORK FOR MY PORTFOLIO? RIGHT NOW! If you are making art you should be saving it.

Keep the date on everything that you make.

Put your work in a safe place away from direct sunlight, the errant baby sister, the dog, the mice...

Even if you are a freshman or sophomore, it is a good habit to keep things that you feel are good. As you get closer to application time you can replace pieces that you think are better. The process of saving strong work in an organized way is a good habit. Revisiting your work from time to time and adding new pieces helps you to see progress and sets up the habit of keeping things organized.

We are happy to help you keep your work in a safe place here in the art room.

Chandler Sharpe~ 2D Design

WHAT ARE THE COLLEGES LOOKING FOR IN MY PORTFOLIO? *First of all it is absolutely acceptable to ask a school what they look for in a portfolio. It is not a secret to be decoded. You can ask in an email or just call. If you attend a Portfolio Day http://www.portfolioday.net/ you can ask directly when you present your portfolio. *Your portfolio should reflect you. Include work that is personal and creative. Include not only the great assignments you have done but also things that you have done on your own. Creativity is the ingredient that makes talent effective and marketable. Don’t just include the “assigned work” if there isn’t some of you in it. *Choose work that shows strong skill in the chosen medium.

In other words if you choose a drawing make sure it has strong technical merit. *Go for diversity. If you only include paintings then include a variety of subjects. If you are able, choose pieces from a variety of mediums. Show your diversity.

Obviously if you are applying to a specific art program such as fashion design you will be limiting your images, but think about a fashion portfolio that also includes some figure drawing and perhaps photographs of your work on models.

Michelle Burger ~Intermediate Painting & Drawing

LINE IN 2 D DESIGN CLASS

Jason Burns

Nick Lavery

Garritt Zalewski

Elllis Kolbo -Leland

details from Leo Dieterly-Malone

Alex Babicki~Figure Drawing

Lauren Caraballo~Figure Drawing