There are many artists among the students. These three artists in particular use their art to express creativity and passion and to relieve stress.
Ivy Lee
An Apple Pencil gently taps on an iPad as strokes of bright colors fill the screen. With her noise-canceling headphones on, sophomore Ivy Lee immerses herself in her own fantasy world.
For Lee, art is the expression of human creative ability and imagination, typically in visual form, and she said she focuses on digital art, but also paints and draws. Although she discovered an interest in art as a child, her passion blossomed during the pandemic.
“I really got interested in art during quarantine because I started an art account on Instagram,” Lee said. “I made a lot of online friends and as I got closer to people who also draw, they really influenced my art.”
According to Lee, a stressful environment like Paly encourages many students to create art to relax and express their creativity.
“Art is something I can do in my free time or when I need to calm down,” Lee said. “I’m a pretty energetic person who is constantly full of ideas, and I feel like if I don’t let them out in some way or another, my brain will just explode.”
During her drawing sessions, Lee said her art largely depends on her mood and the inspiration of other artists.
“Ultimately, you draw everything you see,” Lee said. “I go on Pinterest almost every day to look at other people’s art and see what techniques they’re using or what brushes they’re using to create textures.”
But Lee said developing her current artistic skills took years of practice.
“I’m at the point I’m at now because I’ve been doing this every day for seven years,” Lee said. “It’s like any other skill that you really have to hone and practice.”
Lee advises aspiring artists to persevere and not get discouraged when faced with a challenge.
“If you’re frustrated because you can’t draw something, ask yourself how many times you’ve done it before,” Lee said. “If you’re trying to fix a car and you’re not an engineer, it’s not like you’re going to get it right the first time, and it’s the same with art. It’s OK to get frustrated sometimes, but the best thing is to just keep going and keep pushing yourself. Never stop drawing.”
Katie Wu
Senior and Artruism Club President Katie Wu said she also began her artistic career at a young age.
“I started taking lessons at age 5, and I think I really enjoyed drawing things on the page,” Wu said. “Growing up, I consumed a lot of artistic media, with animation and movies and things like that. Overall, art has been a constant presence throughout my life.”
Wu said she used her passion for art to create her club, which provides a welcoming environment for artists to connect and grow.
“Artruism is a club that engages the community through art, and our name is a combination of the words art and altruism,” Wu said. “As president, I try to find projects that are fun for club members and give them both a larger platform to showcase their artwork and practice their skills. In addition to project acquisition, I also try to create a nice club atmosphere where people feel like they can grow and develop their artistic skills.”
Wu is in the AP 2-D art and design program and said she is working on a portfolio on the theme of “Sustain the Investigation.” Her investigation focuses on how adults can maintain their childlike curiosity as they grow into adults.
“One of my pieces is like my older soul reconnecting with my younger self and my hobby,” Wu said. “They’re both in the library, and as a kid I really enjoyed reading fantasy books. As I grew up, I didn’t have the opportunity to read as many of those fantasy books. So in this piece, my older self is standing on this bookshelf looking at my younger self, and they’re connecting over this old hobby.”
Whether it’s reviving memories or conducting research, Wu said the key to creating art is exploration.
“I know a lot of young artists get caught up in their work and only draw what they’re comfortable with,” Wu said. “It’s hard to branch out and learn things like lighting, anatomy or perspective. Try, and even if you don’t make it, you’ll do great after lots of practice.”
Veronica Qiu
Second-year student Veronica Qiu said her hobby, crocheting, is a fun way to take a break from school.
“It’s my way of procrastinating,” Qiu said. “And it’s a break from homework that I can just tackle and do, and then I put it away and go back to work.”
Qiu said she often makes smaller pieces, but wants to expand and make larger pieces as well.
“I usually crochet and make small things like stuffed animals or plush toys, but I’ve been trying to make larger crosses as well, like beanies and bags, and I want to work towards clothing,” Qiu said.
Qiu said she also started crocheting during the pandemic.
“(I) started during the pandemic, of course,” Qiu said. “I started knitting because my grandma had so many needles, and that’s when I discovered crocheting. And then it just took off from there.”
Although it may seem like the crochet work is easy, Qiu says that’s not necessarily the case.
“It takes a lot of time, even for some small projects, and the process requires a lot of details,” Qiu said. “It’s a complicated process. I guess it seems a little intimidating at first, but I think once you learn more about it, it’s pretty straightforward.”
Because she spent so much time crocheting, Qiu said the activity left a lasting impression.
Qiu said: “It’s definitely a part of my identity because as someone who has invested a lot of time in it, it has become a part of my life.”
