Visual Arts

The foundation for all art courses at Lutheran High School North. Students will complete projects in traditional media and computers to produce images that demonstrate an understanding of art principles. Art history, criticism and the study of aesthetics are incorporated into the production of art to provide students with an appreciation of art in their daily lives.

With an emphasis on using clay and paint, students produce work that explores textures and colors in this class. Studies of related artists and their work bring a historical and cultural relevance to the student’s production of art objects. 

Using the human form, still life, and natural landscape as subject matter, students expand and define their drawing and seeing skills.

Ceramics (pottery) is probably the oldest and most natural of all the artistic mediums in use today. This course covers the basic area of construction methods, firing, and glazing techniques. Ceramics is for those students who enjoy working with their hands and who enjoyed the subject in Art I-B and wish to build on those skills. This class may be repeated for advanced credit.

Composition is the major theme of this class. How shapes work together to form an interesting whole will be explored through problems involving graphite and collage. A rigorous schedule is followed with emphasis on initial sketches and professional products. Students become involved with critique of their own and others’ projects. 

In this course, students spend the semester exploring the possibilities of water solluble painting media and expanding on their understanding of color theory. The first quarter is a study of Watercolor. Projects cover basic and advanced painting techniques through a variety of subjects both indoors and out. In the second quarter, the focus shifts to acrylic paint. This versatile medium is used to create both large and small scale works in a range of styles, and eventually incorporates various other materials into mixed-media paintings. 

PHOTOGRAPHY                

In Photography, students will learn about the history of taking pictures from early Daguerreotypes to modern digital photography. Projects will range from traditional landscapes and portraits to conceptual work and photojournalism. Photos will be critiqued in class with an emphasis on strong composition and creative subject matter. Students will learn about photo editing with the Photoshop program.