Located just at the end of the hall, Eastside’s art room–walls lined with artwork and tables adorned with supplies– is a creative escape for students during a busy school day. The work art students do focuses on the principles of artwork, progressing students’ skills and teaching students about different influential artists. Our art teacher, Mrs. Blaskowski (or Mrs. B.), works hard to have her students’ work displayed for their peers and the greater community to see. In particular, about 60 to 70 pieces of artwork, representing about 50 artists from Eastside, are going to be displayed in the “Oak Hammock” gallery space. The gallery is located in the Upper Commons and will display student work from January 8 to April 1–ample time to go check out some student pieces! Join us at their opening event on January 22 from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m.

The work expected to be on display is mainly taken from Art 1, 2, and 3 with a few advanced pieces from Mrs. B.’s Draw 3 Honors and IB Art 1 class. The pieces come from a wide range of projects. There are several pieces inspired by Brazilian artist Romero Britto, who uses bright colors and line work to capture viewers’ attention. Other projects include mandala designs (geometric designs or patterns focusing on symmetry and line work), creative ink and string artworks, realistic grid drawings, pencil and oil pastel flower drawings, and larger realistic drawings from the more advanced classes. While the pieces differ in terms of their prompts, they all are chosen due to their high quality and dedication of the artist/student. The gallery presents a great opportunity to see the work of our peers and appreciate all the work they do!