Emma Wilmott ’24 and Elena Tskhvitaria ’25, reflect on growth, “exploring new materials and ideas,” and being more accepting of making mistakes.
Today we slept in!!! After a (much appreciated) late start, we took a bus to Chelsea Physic Garden, where the weather was (surprisingly) warm and sunny. The Garden contained all types of flowers, ranging from colorful peonies to medicinal herbs. We walked around the Garden, observed the plants and flowers, sketched, and occasionally bent over to smell the roses. It was an amazing experience and we were captivated by nature. After a picnic lunch in the garden, we took a bus to a figure drawing class. With a real-life model, we practiced drawing the human body for almost three hours. It was a challenging yet fun experience that required us to approach the drawing in a different way than the landscapes and quick sketches we had worked on earlier in the day.
After drawing figures, Mrs. Taylor asked us to pick five of our own pieces which showed growth. We taped them up on the wall, and each person had their own little section in the gallery. We were then given post it notes, and as we walked, we made comments about people’s work. During our debrief, we discussed the growth we’ve experienced in the past six days, and how the lessons we learned about art can apply to all aspects of life. We have become more open to exploring new materials and ideas, and more accepting to “mistakes” – which might not even be mistakes at all.
