Peering eyes of students watch as PPCHS artists delicately sketch and color onto their designs, layering hues of colors to fulfill their desired product. Soft winds brush past and dry the paints filling their canvases, expressing its illusions, creativity, and meanings through strokes of pigments illuminating on the sheets of parchment.
Filling the silver picnic tables, Ms. Vasquez’s art students scatter their materials, chat with classmates and friends as students surround them, watching in awe during each passing period. Art Day has arrived in PPCHS, where art students dedicate their hours, which would originally be placed into the six periods in the day, to their artworks in the fresh air and sunny mornings.
Enjoying the relaxation of drawing rather than schoolwork, sophomore Sahana Richards “prefers doing six hours of artwork rather than six hours of classwork.” Rather than waiting for the hours to linger away, they got to participate in this event, and some have been participating in Art Day for many years. “I did this sophomore year and in junior year, and it’s just a lot of fun to hang out all day with my friends and be able to do art,” detailed senior Lara Da Costa.
Working on their pieces of artworks outside, feeling the breeze brush through their hair, the sun warm their skin, and the bell ring as students cluttered their way, it made all the difference working outside in contrast to a chilly classroom. Lara enjoys this event greatly, as she “likes the outside more just because of the breeze and the sunlight, and [she] enjoy[s] the more open area.” Sitting around the picnic table, she was present with all her materials at her disposal to accomplish her drawing goals.
Settling near the M building, the nature and sky brought inspiration to the artists’ minds that they then transcribed onto their papers and canvases. Observing the sky change as the sun moves through the hours, Sahana felt “more connected to nature, [like] more connected to the outside since I’m drawing the outside sky.”
As the final bell rang, the tables had been picked up, leaving the M building how it was just the day before. Speaking for most of the art students and satisfied with her completed work pieces, Sahana got to see “[her] work come to life,” through the lengthy, tedious hours.
Where pencil sketches and art techniques brought outlines into final, magnificent pieces, the day ended with grand smiles, friends, and students’ best work implemented into once-white sheets.
