Student showcase features Art Nouveau

Every year, art students at Creston High School have the chance to show off their work in a community showcase. Honored as Creston Arts’ featured creators of April, students will display their work incorporating Art Nouveau elements at the Creston Arts Gallery in the Restored Depot until their closing reception Friday, April 24.

For much of March, these art students have had the chance to learn and imitate the styles of Art Nouveau, an international art movement from the late 1800s and early 1900s. Art Nouveau work is known for its softer, flowing lines inspired by nature.

“It’s been great to see their different personalities kind of coming through in the art and see what color palettes different people are drawn to and how they incorporated what they took from that Art Nouveau style and worked into their own art,” CHS art teacher Bailey Fry-Schnormeier said.

The class began by sketching out ideas for their Art Nouveau-style painting on the illustration app Procreate. Once decided on a sketch, the students then traced their design from a projector onto their canvas. However, many students saw their ideas grow after the original sketch.

“I really wanted a piece kind of featuring love, which is why I painted a swan because it’s kind of the symbol of love,” senior Rowan Kinzie said. “Then it grew into something more just everything I like, so I kind of see this as a reflection of myself. It’s something fun and warm.”

While some artwork grew, other pieces simply changed.

“I went onto the tablet and started taking ideas like the flowers. And then I had the cat and then slowly things from previous versions and iterations morphed into this final version when I was finally happy with it,” senior Shyann Richards said. “I know for a fact the colors have changed over time because at the beginning I wanted to be more like dark and moody and now it’s gotten more warm.”

Many of the students have been working their way through every art class the high school offers, enjoying the opportunity for creativity. However, some are just meeting their artistic side.

“It’s actually my first time doing any sort of painting since middle school,” junior Avery Graham said. “I thought it was going to be difficult at first, but then I figured out it’s actually a lot easier than what you think when you put your mind to it.”

Fry-Schnormeier said that watching students work their way through the classes and growing in their creative confidence has been rewarding.

“It’s very exciting to see some of my students who did start maybe feeling like they were a little unsure about coming into the art room and taking a high school class to the point where they’re creating their own compositions that they’re really proud of,” Fry-Schnormeier said.

Whether newer to the art field or a high school art veteran, the students all encouraged those interested to take a stab at creating, no matter how skilled they might be.

“Art is fluid. It’s not a set curriculum, this is what it has to look like. As long as you end up with something, if you go into an art class that you really enjoy and you see something about it,” Kinzie said. “My mom actually made me ... She forced me to take at least one art class, so I would say just do one thing that you’re not really comfortable with and kind of grow from there.”

Senior Allison Fry emphasized artistic growth with the reminder that everyone starts off new at some point.

“I would definitely say push yourself when you’re going into the art area, because pushing your imagination is how you get it to develop better,” Fry said. “Everyone starts as a newbie; no one starts as absolutely perfect.”

The student gallery will be open to the public from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Friday. A closing reception for the gallery will be held Friday, April 24 from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Restored Depot.

“The students have worked really hard, and I’m really proud of them,” Fry-Schnormeier said. “I think it’ll be a really great show to see all these pieces hanging together.”