Puma Art Showcase
From photorealistic apples to clay monsters, many University Prep students create beautiful works of art outside the classroom. We’ve highlighted a few Pumas’ artistic endeavors in the Upper School.
Senior Eleanor Bernard, who primarily works with oil paints, has pursued her passion for art in many different ways.
“For me, creating art is just another way of communicating,” Bernard said. “It’s just another way of expressing your thoughts on certain topics just like writing or speaking.”
She attended the Oxbow School of Art last summer in Napa, California.
“It was really fun… I was around all kinds of creative people and [it was] just a really supportive environment,” Bernard said.
Bernard volunteered as an exhibit guide for the Bellevue Art Museum in her freshman year, where she learned about the inner workings of the museum.
While she is unsure of what she’ll study in college, she says “it will be creative in some way.”
Bernard shows off her latest work through her Instagram account @eleanart_.
Senior Hannah Walsh’s passion for art started before she was five.
“My art styles have changed over time,” Walsh said. “I’ve kinda branched out to do different types of art. So I still draw, I still paint, but now I’m doing more with 3D.”
Right now, she primarily uses oven-bake clay on pottery that she buys from stores, and finished her artwork with acrylic paint.
“My grandpa always really liked clay,” Walsh said. “So I would always go over to his house and use his pottery wheel and stuff. But only over quarantine have I really started using clay on my own at home.”
Walsh uses bright colors and unusual shapes to make her clay creations really stand out.
“I tend to fidget a lot,” Walsh said. ”When I’m doing something that doesn’t require my full attention, I like to be doing something with my hands. So that’s kind of why I do it. It’s my creative outlet.”
Walsh features and sells her artwork on her Instagram account @basketcase_antics.
Sadie Bloom, a freshman, creates hyper-realistic drawings of the world around her.
“It’s fun to try to recreate real life as close as possible,” she said. “It’s really a challenge sometimes, but it’s just the most fun part for me.”
Bloom draws inspiration from the artists she sees on social media, and uses art as a creative outlet.
“It’s definitely something that helps me feel better,” she said. “When I’m doing it, I can kind of escape the rest of the world and just focus on what I’m doing and the work that I’m doing.”
She hopes to continue pursuing her passion for art in college.
“I think in the very far future,” Bloom said, “I might pursue some job in design, or something creative, maybe architecture.”
