As the end of the year rolled around, one of our school’s most exciting traditions took place (find dates), The Yorktown Art Show. It could be seen in the atrium on all of the large panels. It showcased artwork from students in Photography, Studio Art and Ceramics classes. One student whose artwork was displayed was sophomore Lui Shipper.

  “My artwork is a man on a bike in [New York City],” Shipper said. Shipper is in Photo II and loves taking photographs in his free time. His picture also has a deeper meaning behind it.

  “I was trying to show the rush of the city by using motion blur. How ‘everything goes by in a blur’, if you will,” Shipper said. While some photos take hours of set-up and preparation, others are taken without any planning beforehand.

       “This kind of picture is one of the more spontaneous kinds… [I] just waited for something interesting to go by,” Shipper said. After he took the photograph, Shipper began the process of editing the image in Photoshop. That did not take too long either, according to Shipper.

  “[A]round fifteen minutes in Photoshop just to boost the colors,” Shipper said. Because it was a spur-of-the-moment picture, Shipper did not have a specific inspiration for taking the photo. However, the style of the picture was inspired by a very specific style of art.

“I didn’t have an inspiration for the photo itself, but the style was inspired by street photography. [I was inspired] by people who try to capture the true essence of their surroundings,” Shipper said. He has been taking Photo since his freshman year, and he will continue to do so throughout high school.

 “I love photo class. It gives me an opportunity to improve my pictures and learn new techniques,” Shipper said. Part of the creative process is attempting something many times and trying to improve with each attempt. This is something that Shipper understands well, as he is critical of his own work.

 “I feel like the man in the picture is way too blurry. I would have moved the camera slower, but this technique takes practice so I’m not mad, I just see it as a trial in which I can improve upon,” Shipper said. Shipper, being a passionate photographer, is not content with only this photograph. He strives to constantly improve in the field of photography.

 “I like the photo, but it has so much more potential. This photo increased my drive to take better ones and that’s what it’s all about,” Shipper said.

Of course, the art show did not include only photography. Students who took a Ceramics class also had their artwork on display. Sophomore Jack Lewis is one such student who had their pottery on display for the art show.

  “My artwork for the art show was a woven basket made using clay and glazed with a rust and leaf green color,” Lewis said. While some artists want their art to represent something in our society, artists like Lewis are after pure aesthetic value when it comes to their artwork.

“It doesn’t really represent much, it just looked cool,” Lewis said. According to Lewis, many hours were put into his pottery in order to craft  it just the way he wanted.

“In total, the project took about 3 weeks. But that was between constructing and glazing,” Lewis said. As part of the artistic process, Lewis took time to reflect and focus on what he could improve in future ceramic projects.

       “I would have spent a little more time on the glazing since it did not come out very well and I had to do it a second time,” Lewis said. Many people are aware of the hard work that goes into making the art. What people are not aware of is the effort that goes into setting up the display.

       “The setup for the art show took a while, as we had to wheel all of the pieces down. Some of them are really heavy which made it more difficult,” Lewis said. However, Lewis enjoyed the project and would do it again if he was given the opportunity.

“I did enjoy ceramics, I found that it was really relaxing and stimulating,” Lewis said. Part of what makes the Yorktown Art Show so fascinating is the fact that all of the artwork is done by students. Whether the art is by photographers like Shipper, potters like Lewis or any other student in an art class, everything that is on display is made with maximum effort and care, giving Yorktown a unique end-of-year tradition unlike any other.