IN THE PAST NINE YEARS we've seen a lot of young people develop notable artistic skills while taking classes with us. Obviously it's incredibly rewarding to see young children in our classes mature into complex and sophisticated artists whose abilities extend beyond what we could do at their age. We have been so impressed by a number of students that we decided to create a new web page and in-studio display for those individuals who the teachers of ActonArt agree should be recognized for their accomplishments.
Click on the tabs below to select each artist.
Caroline Cao
Caroline Cao
Caroline Cao has been a student at ActonArt since 2007 when she joined an Intermediate A level drawing class. The gallery of Caroline's artwork demonstrates artwork going back to her earliest days in the studio. She has a remarkable eye for detail, the patience necessary to follow through and the creative vision to take her artwork in new directions. We hope you enjoy her words and artwork.
Click on the image to load Caroline's slideshow
Click on the image to load Caroline's slideshow
Artist's Statement
HELLO. MY NAME IS CAROLINE CAO. I’m fourteen years old and I am a freshman at the Acton Boxborough Regional High School.
I’VE ALWAYS LOVED DRAWING but I started to think about what I was doing when I started to take classes at ActonArt. I’d never thought about materials and compositions before and the whole process of putting a piece together was very exciting. The teachers have all been extremely welcoming and helpful. They’ve pushed me to do things that I wouldn’t have ever thought of trying before.
All that I’ve leaned is all thanks to them.
SINCE MY FIRST ART CLASS,
a lot of things have changed.
By far the biggest change that I’ve undergone is my attitude towards portraits. When I was little, I absolutely hated drawing people. I was bad at the proportions and just everything in general. I’d never really
I’VE ALWAYS LOVED DRAWING but I started to think about what I was doing when I started to take classes at ActonArt. I’d never thought about materials and compositions before and the whole process of putting a piece together was very exciting. The teachers have all been extremely welcoming and helpful. They’ve pushed me to do things that I wouldn’t have ever thought of trying before.
All that I’ve leaned is all thanks to them.
SINCE MY FIRST ART CLASS,
a lot of things have changed.
By far the biggest change that I’ve undergone is my attitude towards portraits. When I was little, I absolutely hated drawing people. I was bad at the proportions and just everything in general. I’d never really
I FIND ART TO BE VERY RELAXING. I enjoy the fact that art is always there when I am stressed about school or life in general. Although I do admittedly stress over my drawings way too much at times, art in general is peaceful and soothing. Art is so accessible. You can do it just about anywhere and with just about anything. Whenever I feel stressed I just pick up a writing or drawing utensil of some sort and doodle. (This is extremely evident in my school notes!) Drawing is a good way to escape from all the stress that life brings. With art, you don’t need to worry about anything. I think of it this way: Perfection is boring to look at. Nothing has to be perfect and mistakes or odd additions to a picture are what make it quirky. This acceptance is what I find to be the best aspect of art. It is probably the reason I love it so much.
Caroline Cao – November 2011
Caroline Cao – November 2011
seriously drawn a person before my classes at ActonArt and I didn’t like the idea of having to be pushed to do it. The first few times I drew portraits at ActonArt were somewhat successful.
They were nice but I still wasn’t quite able to grasp how to truly capture a person’s qualities.
As I was given more freedom to choose what I wanted to draw I completely ignored portraits. But as I was taught more and more techniques, I began to feel more comfortable with drawing faces. Eventually, I began to draw people. At first the edges were still rather rough, but with guidance and a positive attitude, I began to feel better about my people drawing skills. I don’t know quite how it happened, but now I am completely obsessed with portraits. It’s really all I do. That’s what I think is so great about art. One day you can hate something and the next you’ll absolutely love it.
They were nice but I still wasn’t quite able to grasp how to truly capture a person’s qualities.
As I was given more freedom to choose what I wanted to draw I completely ignored portraits. But as I was taught more and more techniques, I began to feel more comfortable with drawing faces. Eventually, I began to draw people. At first the edges were still rather rough, but with guidance and a positive attitude, I began to feel better about my people drawing skills. I don’t know quite how it happened, but now I am completely obsessed with portraits. It’s really all I do. That’s what I think is so great about art. One day you can hate something and the next you’ll absolutely love it.
J. Donahoe
Julia Donahoe
OUR FIRST FEATURED STUDENT ARTIST, Julia Donahoe, began taking classes in 2005 when she was 10 years old. We are displaying a selection of both her older and newer artwork and as you can see her early work is both well drawn and nicely composed. Little did we know however, that she would progress to such remarkable sophistication as a teenager. We hope you enjoy this and future Featured Student displays.
Click on the Parrot image to load Julia's slide show.
Click on the Parrot image to load Julia's slide show.
Artist's statement
WHEN ASKED TO BE the first ActonArt Featured Artist, I was thrilled and honored that I was chosen out of so many great artists in this studio. Art to me is something that I have had a passion for since I was very little, even before I can remember. When I took art classes in middle school I felt like I was one of the few in the class who actually expressed interest in the subject and who would stay late to finish a detailed project that took everyone else only half the class to finish.
AT THE AGE OF TEN I remember attending ActonArt for the first time, and finally creating “unique” pieces of art with others who had the same enthusiasm about art as I did. I began to develop skills that I never could have achieved by myself, even in school art classes. I experi-mented with a multitude
AT THE AGE OF TEN I remember attending ActonArt for the first time, and finally creating “unique” pieces of art with others who had the same enthusiasm about art as I did. I began to develop skills that I never could have achieved by myself, even in school art classes. I experi-mented with a multitude
WORKING IN GREAT DETAIL is one of my pleasures. It is a labor of love. Projects such as the feathers on the parrot that make people think, where would I ever find the patience to do this, provide a fun challenge for me. I find that though my style as an artist has changed tremendously since I started making art, one variable that has followed me throughout the years is my speed. I envy artists who are able to finish a project in limited amounts of time yet still create a masterpiece. However, time has not slowed me down in my desire to pursue my art career throughout high school and even possibly in college. I am so glad that I am able to have this experience as an artist to learn and improve my art skills in such a nurturing environment as ActonArt.
of medias: pen and ink, charcoal, watercolor, pencil, pastel, and even had the privilege to work with mixed medias such as silk screening, printing, and mosaics.
IT IS VERY EXCITING to look back on my earlier pieces of art and compare them to what I am producing now at sixteen, such as the two Gorilla pieces, and see how much the teachers at ActonArt have helped me to grow in my abilities and identify a talent. There is so much art that inspires me, though to name a few that spark my interest today are people, especially faces, and creatures like birds mammals and amphibians. I enjoy playing with the effects of light and dark, shadows and highlights in my work. I like experimenting with colors versus black and white, and how I can integrate that within a single piece of art.
IT IS VERY EXCITING to look back on my earlier pieces of art and compare them to what I am producing now at sixteen, such as the two Gorilla pieces, and see how much the teachers at ActonArt have helped me to grow in my abilities and identify a talent. There is so much art that inspires me, though to name a few that spark my interest today are people, especially faces, and creatures like birds mammals and amphibians. I enjoy playing with the effects of light and dark, shadows and highlights in my work. I like experimenting with colors versus black and white, and how I can integrate that within a single piece of art.
