Senior Olivia Forsyth admits her self-portrait, which she painted last year in Meryl Haring's painting class is not her favorite piece. But she does appreciate its value as a learning experience. "Doing this painting gave me a better understanding of how to use oil paints," she says.
For this painting, Haring instructed students to incorporate techniques used by two other painters. Forsyth chose to Malcolm T. Liepke, a figurative painter whose "wet" look is reminiscent of 19th century portraitist John Singer Sargent. She also chose Robin Eley, an Australian hyper-realist painter. "I'd seen his paintings of subjects wrapped in plastic wrap online," she recalls. "It was so realistic that it looked like a photograph."
Later this summer, Olivia will head south to Columbus to begin her freshman year at The Ohio State University's Design Program. She says she is thankful for her experiences in art at Shaker Heights High School. "I was so blown away by all the different classes we have here," she says. "My portfolio class this year was amazing. Most other schools wouldn't offer a double-period art class like that." Olivia credits the class with cultivating her skills and, more importantly, helping her to build a body of work she could submit to colleges.