Servite strives to embrace the whole student, and the Visual Arts program strives to engage students and deepen their understanding of the arts as a way of appreciating, experiencing and valuing the world.  The visual arts program develops the perceptual skills needed for creative expression and for informed appreciation; studies the cultural and social history of civilizations as reflected in the artworks of a people; and develops the skills in aesthetics to make critical judgments of artworks.  A primary goal of Servite's visual arts program is to assist students in understanding the creativity of others as well as their own by emphasizing the creative process and the product. 

CP Drawing

Learning to use the artist's visual vocabulary is the first challenge a beginning artist has to face. In addition to learning how to manipulate a variety of wet and dry media, the student arranges the elements of art (Line, Shape, Form, Color, Texture, Space, and Value) in a unified picture. The principles of design (Balance, Emphasis, Contrast, Rhythm, Movement, and Pattern) are combined with the elements of art to form a unified composition. Students are presented challenging problems, and devise a personal solution using the visual vocabulary in a complex composition.

Close observation from life forms teaches the beginning student to "see? details that are usually missed in everyday life: highlights, cast shadows, form shadows, hard edges, soft edges, local color, and juxtaposed color. Variety in line becomes a means of expression. Value changes lead to emphasis in color and non-color media. Techniques such as hatching, crosshatching, stippling, blending, and wash are tools the student uses to create his own style in graphite pencil, charcoal, pen and ink, prismacolor, and watercolor pencil. Tricks of the trade, such as using a viewfinder and sighting, are practiced and start to become second nature as the student grows in experience and confidence.

Writing skills become honed as the student artist learns to use the four operations of art criticism to describe what is in their composition, analyze their use of the elements and principles of the visual vocabulary, interpret the mood, meaning, or feeling of their work, and offer a judgment of it's success backed up by the aesthetic theories of imitationalism, formalism, and emotionalism.

CP Painting

Second year studio art students concentrate in learning the techniques of transparent watercolor painting. Working with professional Winsor & Newton Cotman watercolor sets, they explore design problems involving still life compositions, landscapes, seascapes, working from reality, working from photographs, painting foliage, trees, buildings, cityscapes, figures and portraits. They will concentrates on learning and developing their skills in flat washes, color mixing, overlaying colors, creating highlights, shadows, back runs, line and wash, and techniques such as spattering, sponge painting, lifting out, wax resist, and creating atmosphere. Painting begins in the studio setting, becoming familiar with the materials and techniques. As skills develop, students move outside to work "en plein air?, on location. A portfolio review at the end of the school year culminates with a reflection on the progress of the artist on his journey of exploration.

For more information about the Servite visual arts, please contact Karen Van Metre, visual arts instructor, at (714) 774-7575, extension 1439.