Student Life News
March 24, 2023
Our students are enjoying the warmth and humidity of Taiwan. In other words, ‘warmth’ referring to our hospitable hosts but also it’s really hot, and ‘humidity’ referring to the weather, the sweat from the intense training, but also the many many cups of bubble tea already had. While they’re sure to bring back wonderful memories and stories of their Asian adventure, here are a few pictures they’ve shared so far:
February 10, 2023
Ms. Lucy Cui, Fine Arts Teacher
This semester we are focusing on the quick study of oil painting with middle school students. Each painting class, I start with a demonstration and then give students a set time to finish the piece. We focus on different new tasks in each class and with time limits, students need to be highly concentrated to accomplish the task. We start with a single still life subject, then move on to multiple subjects, at the same time adding information of composition and color theory. The result seems nice. Within the past 4 weeks, students were able to finish one to two quick study paintings per week. Students are more focused during the limited time, and the artworks get better and better.
January 13, 2023
Ms. Millie Hankinson, Art Teacher
This spring semester, high schoolers in the visual arts program will continue to build upon the foundational skills they learned last semester — the basics of shape, value, and form — while exploring various types of still life, portrait drawing, and quick sketching. We will continue to have live models pose for the students, as well as demonstrations and lectures by visiting artists. By the end of the term, students will develop a better eye for accuracy, simplification, and interpretation that will carry them forward into more advanced studies next year.
Read moreNovember 18, 2022
Ms. Lucy Cui, Art Teacher
We had a very special guest give a brief workshop with our middle school class this week! We welcomed Mr. Christian MacNevin, Ivy’s father, who came to speak about concept art and design. Our students were very attentive and enjoyed the presentation. Thanks for spending the time with us! Here are some pictures from the workshop:
Mr. MacNevin is one of many artists we have invited to conduct workshop with our students. We look forward to arranging for more later this year.
Read moreNovember 11, 2022
Ms. Vera Wang, Art Teacher
Our Thursday Foundational Art students have been spending the past few weeks on their painting unit, where they learned about brush technique, mixing colors, and composition.
Here they are with their first completed acrylic painting!
Read moreNovember 4, 2022
Ms. Millie Hankinson, Visual Arts Teacher
In October, the high schoolers continued to move toward more complex subject matter by focusing on drawing from life. The students took turns modeling for each other in order to practice quick sketching, as well as to prepare for the two professional models that visited the classroom this month — including a pirate! To better understand the geometric forms of the human head and the effects of light and shadow, students practiced drawing from several of the cast sculptures in our collection, culminating in a weeks-long study which will continue through most of November.
Read moreOctober 13, 2022
Ms. Lucy Cui, Visual Arts Teacher
From beginning to now, the students worked together to help create a beautiful school mural. Students led the design themselves with pattern and color, and then put them on the wall! We divided the wall into several sections, dedicating 3 areas for a spring theme and other 3 for autumn, which represent the 2 seasons of San Francisco! Students used their creativity and imagination to colored the white wall with nature and imaginations. Although it’s only been a week and still work in progress, the artwork already looks promising.
Front Page News
October 6, 2022
HSArts students are designing a school mural for the east wall. The community of students and teachers have voted on 4 beautiful designs by the students with the theme being the only two seasons in San Francisco, Spring and Fall. High school students finished selecting colors and the middle school students will begin working on the wall on Wednesday. Let’s see what they can accomplish!
Front Page News
September 29, 2022
HSArts is now an Art Renewal Center (ARC) Approved school. HSArts is one of the few high schools recognized by this prestigious community of talented ateliers, artists and professionals.
To become an ARC Approved school, all ARC Approved schools and ateliers must focus on skill-based training and classical and naturalist education and be firmly grounded in realism defined as the accurate, detailed, depiction of nature or of life. Ninety percent or more of the instruction taking place at the school relating to drawing, painting, or sculpting must be in line with the above requirement.
This is a great honor and we look forward to sharing more news with you about the many new opportunities presented by this new affiliation. Stay tuned!
Read moreSeptember 22, 2022
By Ms. Millie Hankinson
Our high school class began the year focusing on some of the foundations of drawing: shape, form, and proportion. After practicing these fundamental principles for several weeks, we worked on longer, more complex projects incorporating value and perspective to refine and advance our basic skill level. Now, with autumn at our doorstep, we turn our efforts toward quick sketching to prepare for our first portrait drawing session on Tuesday! Our model will be festively dressed as a fortune teller to celebrate the beginning of the Halloween season.
About Ms. Millie
Ms. Hankinson is a figurative artist and instructor. She studied fine art and illustration at the Academy of Art University in San Francisco, and has been teaching throughout the Bay Area since 2013. After a guest lecture last school year, she joins our Visual Arts department as a full-time teaching starting this year.
“I studied Millie’s works when I was in high school, and I’m happy to have the chance to connect and work with Millie. Our visual arts program is in very good hands!”
– Mr. Kailin Qu, visual arts teacher
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