Pleasant Valley High School features a wide variety of different talents. From theatre to band, the Spartans take pride in our distinguished programs. However, it isn’t often that PVHS takes a look into their fine arts department.
Pleasant Valley High School offers a plethora of art classes, only requiring basic Art 1 as a prerequisite to be able to explore the different mediums after, such as painting, drawing, photography, ceramics, etc. “Now that the credit requirements have changed, we hope to see more students having the ability to express their creativity in the classroom” Amiee Peters, an art teacher at Pleasant Valley High School, stated.
This week, senior Jane Johns, showcased her talent and commented on how art affects her personally. “I don’t have any direct inspiration I suppose, but there’s various video games and franchises that I like that influence my art and my art style.” She expanded on how she gathers her own inspiration by looking at the art of others, and learning how to incorporate her favorite parts into her own style.
Art isn’t a talent that one is born with, but rather takes years of practice and hours of patience and it isn’t ever truly mastered. In the art world, there’s always a new skill or technique that’s out there to learn. “I really don’t know [when I started] for sure, but it’s been awhile. I’ve been drawing for as long as I can even remember,” Jane confirms. This proves to be the case for various artists who shared the passion for drawing since their childhood and continue to develop those abilities now.
Despite the stereotype of artists ‘starving’, there are quite a few paths an art student can take with their career. Some of them include: graphic design, fine arts, animation, or an art teacher. Jane offered insight to her future career goals. “I’d like to become a 2D animator, game designer, or an art teacher. I’ll also probably continue working on and off as just a commission taking artist alongside one of those professions.”
Jane showcases her great choice of color schemes, textures, and attention to detail in her artwork. Pleasant Valley High School is excited to see what her talent will entail her to in the future!
