The National Art Honor Society (NAHS) wrapped up their community service project with Youth Art for Healing March 10.
The students created 12 paintings highlighting different species of birds from the Maryland, Virginia and D.C. area – eight of the paintings were large scale macro (close up) portraits of birds and four featured birds sitting on a wire. The finished paintings will be displayed in the atrium of the MedStar National Rehabilitation Network in D.C.
“The hardest part was the initial design and development of the actual composition because the hospital and art curators wanted very specific pictures,” NAHS co-sponsor and studio art teacher Jacquelyn Washam said. “Once we got that down, everything moved pretty quickly and they’ve been developing nicely.”
The NAHS is made up of students focused on different disciplines of art, but the project mainly involved painting and drawing. This provided a challenge and opportunity to explore new techniques for the students whose primary focus is not in painting or drawing.
“We found it hard to appropriately mix and place the different tones of colors so that they looked good together and provided the right amount of contrast,” senior Usha Konduri, who is currently taking Ceramics II, said. “This project has taught me [that] I enjoy creative challenges when I’m put in a great atmosphere with cooperative and talented peers.”
According to senior Laudan Nikoobakht, who is in Ceramics II, she found painting to be “very calming” and the project taught her that even though she is “no Picasso,” you don’t have to be an expert to create a nice work of art.
While the completed paintings will not be displayed at CHS, there will be a reception in late April at the Silver Spring Civic Building for all the student artists from different schools which partnered with Youth Art for Healing.
According to Washam, NAHS was given less time to complete the projects this year, so it was a time crunch to finish them all.
Next year’s project is still undecided, but Washam hopes that they will partner with Youth Art for Healing again.