Tuesday, April 16, 2024 – Realms of imagination and creativity came alive as Texas Southmost College (TSC) Fine Arts program students showcased their intricate works of art at the Capstone Series: Student Art Exhibition.
Held at the Fine Arts Gallery at TSC’s ITECC, the public was invited to see the culmination of several art students’ semester-long projects, manifesting in vibrant paintings adorning the gallery walls.
“At the start of the semester, they are tasked with designing a series of works, conducting preliminary studies for it, and creating sketches to actualize the ideas they have in mind,” said TSC Art instructor Robert Andes, who also served as the master of ceremonies for the event. “This event is often the final class for these students, and it’s designed to show what they’ve learned and practiced during their time here.”
For April Prado, a TSC Art student and TSC Fine Arts Club president, the exhibition was a testament to her growth and learning. It was an opportunity to showcase her creative output and display what she has learned over the course of her Art program, inspiring others with her journey.
“My art professors taught me the classical approach to drawing, similar to artists like Michelangelo, Titian, and Raphael,” Prado said. “I’m grateful to have learned so much from them, as they encourage me to keep growing as an artist.”
Those in attendance were encouraged to mingle and interact with the group’s proud artists, who were more than happy to share insight behind the creative epicenters of their pieces.
Her trio of portrait-style paintings were not just artworks but a manifestation of her passion and creativity. They were specifically designed to communicate a distinct idea to observers. “My series is about self-identity, and through my art, I want to encourage people to connect with this idea and understand themselves, too,” she said.
Jazzlynn Guajardo chose to use the Greek mythology story of Orpheus and Eurydice as a thematic framework for her pieces. Beyond the task of retelling an entire story through only three paintings, Guajardo’s time spent working on them over a semester was marked with high and low points. “The toughest part was toward the middle portion of working on the pieces when I was adding shadows and highlights,” she began, “but the most rewarding was finishing them and being certain with myself that they were finally done.”
While the fine arts are a traditional means of creative expression for students, instructors must still evaluate their output based on a set of criteria.
“A lot of it is the elements and principles of art, which one could also consider to be the fundamentals,” said Andes. “For example, we look at how [the art student] uses color, value, shading, contrast, perspective, depth, and more. Essentially, we want to see how the student uses these fundamental skills in design, but we also want to see if they’re getting across the themes and ideas they are trying to express.”
TSC Art student and TSC Fine Arts Club president April Prado said the exhibition was a testament to her growth and learning. “My art professors taught me the classical approach to drawing, similar to artists like Michelangelo, Titian, and Raphael,” Prado said. “I’m grateful to have learned so much from them, as they encourage me to keep growing as an artist.”
TSC Art Student Jazzlynn Guajardo used the Greek mythology story of Orpheus and Eurydice as a thematic framework for her pieces. “The toughest part was toward the middle portion of working on the pieces when I was adding shadows and highlights,” she said, “but the most rewarding was finishing them and being certain with myself that they were finally done.”
