Best of the Week 2020-2021: Excellence in College Prep

FINE ARTS STUDENTS SHOW REAL POTENTIAL, PUSHING EACH OTHER OUTSIDE THEIR COMFORT ZONES

St. Ed's Fine Arts Department not only teaches Edsmen advanced techniques and skills to help them grow as artists, but also challenges them to push their limits and try new things to improve their art and think outside the box. Colin Wheeler '23, only a sophomore, has quickly advanced in his art courses, taught by Fine Arts teacher Shaun Kinley, and proves his potential with a detailed, colored sketch from one of his favorite movies.

"My inspiration for this drawing is from 'Jaws.' I grew up watching it and ever since I was little, I always liked drawing sharks. I thought it would be fun to draw the humans in the movie for a change," says Colin. "I learned how to use a grid to scale a picture and how to incorporate color into my sketches, which is fun because I usually only use pencils. I’ve always loved to draw, so it’s really great to be in a class where I can do what I love, while also learning more about how to advance my skills."

"Colin managed to capture human likeness, one of the most challenging things to accomplish as an artist, in this piece. It exhibits great balance of the subtlety of human anatomy - especially in facial shading - as well as the ability to fearlessly push the high contrasting darks and lights of this image to achieve great realism," says Mr. Kinley. "Colin's choice to sketch this scene shows his willingness to take on challenging artistic projects. He is a natural and inspires everyone else in the class to step up and challenge themselves. My other 'super sophomores,' including Myles O'Malley '23 and Anderson Soltis '23, push each other in their creativity and I'm thankful to have these guys together in the same class."