Art comes in all forms, and artists explore art in many different ways and mediums. But no matter the way it is created, each piece of art is filled with its own meaning and thought behind it.
“Art, to me, is the expression of oneself,” senior Mack Howard said, “it [art] has varying meanings depending on who is making it.”
Howard is in their second year of AP Art, working in Pottery 4, and also works on personal art in their free time.
“I do 2D and 3D art, which consists of pottery, ceramics, painting, digital, stuff like that,” they said.
Being an artist can seem intimidating because of the skill and talent that may look unattainable, but it is important to recognize that it is a process. Most everybody starts as a beginner, and Howard is no different.
“I started out like everyone else, doodling when I was a kid,” said Howard. Now they’ve grown leaps and bounds, boasting many different digital pieces, ceramics, paintings, and more.
Howard makes their art based on generally “creepy” ideas, often playing around with the human figure. “I’m very inspired by creepy, borderline surrealist ideas. Anything that’s creepy and weird,” they said.
Last year, Howard’s AP Art investigation was based around the idea of intrusive thoughts and the effect they have on someone. This year, however, they are reflecting on “The Human Experience,” capturing what happens internally based around thought.
Howard currently takes commissions
, and is planning to go into the art industry in the future. “I don’t really know what I specifically want to do. I know I want to do something art related in my career, but I’m willing to have it as a side job. I am pretty flexible with it.” Howard said.
More of Howard’s art is available on their website, https://mackhowardstudio.weebly.com/about-me.html, which features their highest quality pieces, displays their different art, and contains a link to their commission sheet.
“Art is colors and beauty, and I know it’s cheesy, but art is in the eye of the beholder,” junior Zoey Sabbatino said.
Sabbatino is an artist who practices many kinds of art, and often likes to try out new things she hasn’t before.
“I like to draw, and I’m not a great painter but it’s still super fun. I also enjoy embroidering, but by far knitting and crocheting is something I really connect with,” said Sabbatino.
Sabbatino began advancing within her art when her grandma introduced her to knitting, someone who she said had a strong relationship with for her entire life.
“We love each other. She takes me to Disneyland because we both love going, and even though we have lost contact due to her living in California, we still have a tight bond.”
Sabbatino gets some of her inspiration from antiques, something else that she feels she gained from her grandmother. Another one of Sabbatino’s main inspirations is nature, and vintage patterns.
“I think older prints and patterns are super cool because you don’t see that kind of artwork and quality these days,” Sabbatino said.
In the future, Sabbatino is looking forward to getting better with her art, along with furthering her creative abilities.
“I think making a dress would be really cool … or a very intricate sweater. Maybe also finding an old sweater or shirt and adding my own touches to it.”
While she isn’t looking to have her art become a large part of her career, Sabbatino is thinking about selling her art to people who would be interested.
“I don’t want to start a shop because I feel like it’d be super stressful … but I was thinking about starting an Instagram and taking commissions, like doing specific projects for people. I think that would be super fun,” said Sabbatino.
Meanwhile, Sabbatino has started a club called “Cozy Crafts,” which meets every Thursday after school, in the library. It is dedicated to not only providing a cozy, welcoming environment to everyone interested in joining, but to also work on all kinds of art projects. It is specifically dedicated to knitting, crocheting, embroidery, and sewing, but all types of crafts are welcome.
“You can even come in to learn,” Sabbatino said, “I may not know everyone, but I would love to help people learn, even if it’s just to try something new. We have yarn, crochet hooks, helpful books, and lots of encouragement to get people going.”
When asked the question of why she started this club, Sabbatino had a sure answer.
“I started the Cozy Crafts club to share my love of this kind of art. I don’t see a lot of people crocheting and knitting, but it is so amazing to be able to make something for someone…they can’t find something like that out in the world, because you made that,” Sabbatino said.
Recently, Zoey recounted how she had stumbled across old blankets her grandparents had made, and hoped she would be able to make blankets for her friends and their families, so that one day they could experience what she had felt when she found her grandparents old blankets.
To Sabbatino, art is not only an important part of the past, but the present and the future as well. She wants to make sure that future generations can recognize this and give it the same weight.
“People call me grandma as an insult, but I just see it as a compliment. I hope I can find my fellow grandmas,” Sabbatino said.
