Special to
L’Observateur

LAPLACE — Students enrolled in art classes at St. Charles Catholic High School in LaPlace get hands-on experience in exploring different art forms.

For instance, entry-level Studio Art 1 students are working on their “Surreal Collage” projects.

The project is based on Salvador Dali and the Surrealist artists, who were interested in combining images in crazy ways. Students use magazines to create their collage of a figure or creature made of mismatched parts.

At SCC, students have the opportunity to take three levels of art classes. One of the main projects in the upper level classes is to produce a “Master Copy,” where a student chooses a master artist’s painting to copy.

Masters would include artists like Picasso, Van Gogh or Degas. In studying the painting, students learn how the artist made certain decisions about color, line, space, texture and value. The students then make a large reproduction painting based on the master painting.

Students interested in the computer- and technology-based side of art can choose to take Digital Design. where students learn high-quality computer programs like Adobe Photoshop, Illustator and iMovie.

The projects in Digital Design explore graphic design, layout and photography techniques.

Towards the end of the year, students work together to create a stop motion animation project, which involves making consecutive photographs that seem to move.

SCC art teacher Robyn Denny received her Bachelor of Fine Arts from LSU and her Master of Fine Arts from UNO. Denny teaches hands-on art classes, where students learn techniques, skill-based artworks and artists from the past.

Students are graded on their application of techniques or skills taught for each project

To learn more about the St. Charles Catholic High Art Department, contact Dr. Courtney Millet at millet.courtney@stcharlescatholic.org or Denny at denny.robyn@stcharlescatholic.org.