Art on the Farm 2019: Student Artwork
It has been a real pleasure looking back on the student artwork made during Art on the Farm this past summer. We had two groups of exceptionally talented students, as can be seen by the work they produced during our 25-day studio art program. Art on the Farm is the first opportunity many of our students experience dedicating long hours in the studio to making art. Regardless of their experience level, all of our students are challenged to think about the ideas behind their work. The end result is a collection of art that is substantive, reflecting the interests, curiosities, and concerns of each individual.
At Cow House during the summer, we teach painting, drawing, photography, and new media. During the final two weeks of the program, however, our students are free to work in any medium they choose. As a result, there is a great variety in the works produced, ranging from drawings, paintings, and photographs to videos, books, and installation. In addition to guidance from our dedicated instructors, it is evident that our students draw influence from one another. This past year there was a particular focus on identity, representation, and self-portraiture. Themes that would be prevalent in any era but seem to carry extra weight at a time when social media platforms command so much of our collective attention.
It’s no small task applying newly learned skills to more expressive ends. It can be frustrating trying to get the contrast just right in the darkroom, quickly capture the human form during a life drawing session, or mix a pallet for oil painting, not to mention video editing, book pagination, and lighting among the many other abilities our students acquire, but to then apply these skills to artworks that carry emotive and conceptual heft is quite an undertaking. Our students were certainly up for the challenge as evidenced by the gallery of student artwork that you can view here.
Images above from left to right are Lulu Fleming-Benite, Beatriz Campos and Karina Arenas.
