ISAS Spotlight: From gouache to clay, visual artists try new mediums

Sophomore Morgan Self, left, presents her series of large acrylic paintings.

For the 50th anniversary of ISAS, visual artists from photography, 2D and 3D studio arts exhibited their work at the Casady School in Oklahoma City April 6-8. The artists presented their collections to a professional artist who adjudicated their work.

“I liked that our adjudicator talked about what we could do with our art after we’ve created it. He touched on the commercial side of creating art,” senior Annie Ren said. “As a senior who really should be thinking about their future, it’s nice to learn about art as a way of living and earning money.”

Artists experimented with different mediums during hour-long workshops, from oil pastel and charcoal to screen printing and clay relief tiles. Ren attended a gouache and millefiori glass workshop.

“I love going to workshops because they provide me with a chance to work with a medium I normally don’t have access to and learn something I normally wouldn’t have,” Ren said.

The students were tasked with making a dreamcatcher using supplies art teacher Dan Havel brought along, including pool noodles, streamers, duct tape, a chopped up hula hoop and string.

The 3D pieces consisted of colorful glassware, pottery and two mixed-media projects. 2D artists also presented a variety of mediums: acrylic paint, charcoal, encaustics and block prints.

Many artists fully expressed themselves in their pieces, covering themes that spoke to them personally. Emma Boehme says her work was inspired by “femininity and feeling alone, one or the other.”

The photography students exhibited portraits, candids and landscapes. Some photographers brought their cameras along to ISAS to capture the action of the festival.