#numuatelier

This summer Archbishop Mitty high school student, Jessica Flowers attended a four week Arts intensive at the Cal Arts college campus in Valencia, California. The campus was founded by Walt Disney and has been training talented high school students since 1987. Jessica has been honored as a California Arts Scholar and she earned 3 college credits.  She is currently back in high school in her Senior year.

The California State Summer School for the Arts provides professional development for kids pursuing a career in the Arts.  They teach a month-long training program in the visual and performing arts, creative writing, animation and film for talented artists of high school age.

Every spring high school students from across the state, and across the country, compete in a highly rigorous selection process. Students are required to display talent, skill and creativity. Jessica’s parents called me in February, 2017 to help her prepare three pieces for her application. Since Jessica had been studying drawing and painting with me since 2013 she was experienced enough to be successful at this level. Her natural born talent was evident when I met her as a middle school girl.

Jessica has a remarkable and innate sense of form and style. When her mother and father brought her in for a meeting in 2013 she showed me several drawings of faces she had done. There was no question she could become as accomplished as she wanted to be.

She decided to became a regular student at NUMU Atelier and continues to grow as an Artist.

When she was 14 years old the first drawing she did for me was the above cast drawing in graphite and chalk. Her attention span is long and she is very focused in her process. She has a natural ability to capture a likeness and her confidence shows in her lines.

She needed to add one distinct painting to her portfolio that would help her gain a spot in the CSSSA program. Before she began that she honed her painting skills by studying nature forms, such as this madrone branch. I gave her a limited palette of oil paints to practice flesh tones.

She had a concept in mind of two hands representing a person in need and a person offering help. Jessica has a strong sense of compassion and empathy. She is a twin to a sister who needs constant emotional support. I could see this in her painting as she wanted to convey a sense of light and compassion to a fellow human in need of love and contact. The feeling of a person in darkness needing to be uplifted by a source of light was touching.

Her message was very genuine and heartfelt. I was glad to see her growing ability enable her to express her message. She created a detailed drawing from observation and from that she finished an oil painting for her application. As her Art teacher I wrote a recommendation to express my confidence in her abilities and qualifications.

After waiting several weeks, for the results of the application, her mother contacted me. Jessica was accepted into the program; being among 1 in 3 students who made the cut. “She is over the moon excited!” said her mom. During her stay at CSSSA Jessica studied digital media, painting, drawing, design and figure drawing.

Knowing I was able to help Jessica towards this goal is one of the best feelings I get as an Art teacher. At the end of the program I thanked Jessica’s mother for coming to me for help. She replied, “You are welcome. Jessica has learned so much from you and all of that technique is from you”.

In the next blog post I will share Jessica’s experience, from her own words, and show the artwork she made. These stories are meant to inspire other parents to support a child’s education in the Arts; providing clarity and confidence in that goal.

Thank you Lisa Coscino and New Museum Los Gatos, Gabriel Coke

Gabriel Coke  |  Atelier Program Director