Spring Family Weekend features an open forum with the Head of School, sometimes called "Open season on Steve." One of the subjects that commanded attention at this afternoon's Parent Association meeting was the notion that fine arts at Proctor are under-represented in our marketing pieces (admission brochures, website, etc.). Young artists are choosing the school because of what they see on their visits, and then flourish in their media. By genuine coincidence, I have a few images that should start to address the problem. Here are some students working in ceramics this morning:

Cory, a junior, is an outstanding visual artist. His recent works include a stunning self-portrait and an acrylic rendering from a photo he took in the Okefenokee Swamp while on an Ocean Classroom detour this fall. Here he is with both pieces:

Of the following piece, Cory writes, "We spent a day canoeing through the swamp searching for alligators. We saw a few, but the scenery was as amazing as the alligators."

Cory goes on to note that the loose brush stroke technique he employed in this painting was inspired by a work by the French realist Jean-Baptiste Camille Corot entitled By the River.

Charlie K., a senior, writes of his pastels (right), "My grandmother taught me that subjects do not have to have realist values.... Using techniques she learned from her father, an American impressionst, she used color after color, covering up previous colors. Then, using her finger, she carefully rubbed in the colors so the colors beneath showed through faintly. She taught me this technique...." Charlie's great-grandfather was Edward Volkert, (1871-1937) whose works are best appreciated at the Cincinnati Art Museum.

Mike, a junior, recently sent me this image of a fire truck working in front of Slocumb Hall. This photo belongs right with Crewdson's highly orchestrated suburban landscapes intruded by extraterrestial influences:

Here's a link to Crewdson: ( MassMoCA).