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Young artists show off talents
Colors, textures and music surrounded visitors at the Fauquier County Public Schools Art Festival last weekend.
Visual art and musical performances highlighted the talents of school children at all grade levels. The theme of the free exhibit was “Jump on the Brain Train — Journey into the Arts.”
And a journey it was. Two students had a particularly good time preparing and performing for the event.
Sally Toms, an 11th grader at Liberty High School, submitted her interpretation of Van Gogh's Starry Night with a peacock created with a mixed media of chalk pastels, oil pastels and watercolors.
Having worked on the piece for a week, she found herself finishing her artwork while other submissions for the festival were being loaded into the truck. Even with the rush, she said, “I was really happy with it.”
Born in Germany, Toms came to the United States when she was a baby. Her parents are natives of England. As a young girl, she took private art lessons and participated in advanced art programs while living in Connecticut.
She and her family came to Fauquier County when she was in 8th grade and for a couple of years she put her love of art aside. By the time she was a sophomore at Liberty, she tried her hand at using “a practical medium to prepare for a career.”
She took classes in graphic design and architectural drafting, but she couldn't maintain an interest in either. She said that she began “looking more for getting back to traditional art.”
Toms had that chance when she applied and was selected to participate in a high school program conducted by the Naitonal Gallery of Art.
For ten Saturdays, she and 17 other students from the Metro DC area listened to gallery talks, critiqued art, and learned about art-related career opportunities.
Toms said the program “opened me up and inspired me. It molded me to put forward what I wanted to say.” The experience also provided her with a new group of art lovers who plan to “get back together.”
Toms has another support group, as well. She is part of a popular web group which provides a place to post recent work and get “friendly critiques” from other participants.
Toms said that her favorite medium was watercolor, mainly because it is fun to use. “I like all of the effects you can use. It's not too fussy; it's light, portable and fairly clean.”
She regrets taking some time away from her artistic interests.
“ I wish I hadn't let it drop,” she said, encouraging other students to “take what you have and cultivate it. Let your feeling for art grow. And take advantage of the wonderful teachers available to you.”
Another FCPS student also developed an interest and talent early in his school career.
Adam Gleason, an 8th grader at Taylor Middle School, has been playing the alto saxophone for three years. He decided he wanted to take music class before he ever arrived at Taylor, having watched his older brother play the violin in the school orchestra.
As a jazz music lover, he chose the sax because “it sounds like a really cool instrument.” But he also likes its versatility. “You can play movie themes, full band, and classical music,” he noted.
When Gleason first started playing, he took private lessons. He now practices on his own a couple of times a week and plays in band class each day at school. Taylor has three concerts each year, in addition to the performance at the Arts Festival.
Gleason admitted that at first he was nervous before the Arts Festival, but he said, “I got over that while I was playing. It was exhilarating.”
His band teacher, Richard Griffith, provides inspiration and good advice to the band members. Gleason recounts that Griffith says before performance to “just go out there and give it your best ... good air support, good tone ... and keep the tempo.”
A resident of Bealeton, Gleason will go to Liberty High School next year, where he plans to join the band.
His advice to students approaching the middle school school years is to try music. “You should go for it. It's really a fun experience. You learn a lot and meet a lot of new people from other schools,” he said.
“You can produce the music yourself. You can feel good because you can make music.”
E-mail the reporter: afelts@timespapers.com.
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