Artfest

Junior Austin Dilley sets up a large, white canvas onto his easel. He searches his thoughts, takes a few strokes, and his image starts to come to life. Dilley was part of the AP Art History’s reenactment of the painting “Las Meninas.” It was part of Art Fest held Tuesday night at the Mosaic.

Inside, on the left side of the Mosaic, there were art displays from Diegueno and Oak Crest, and to the right there was a trio of girls singing covers and original songs on stage. Free cookies, veggies, crackers, and drinks helped keep stomachs full throughout the night.
Outside, the soft sound of music played in the background while upbeat, screamo clips from the video and film class were projected onto a blank canvas to create for an unusual, and oddly SDA combination.
Inside the Gallery, many people marveled at the different art pieces. The group of art teachers proudly stood acting as hosts. Showcased was art ranging from introductory painting classes to AP Studio Art.
Art teacher Angela Jackson was excited about the re-introduction of print-making that was on display. This is a classic technique that she says is “from the 1600s” that is both “time-consuming and tedious, but the results are really beautiful.” She loves this technique because it’s isn’t commonly found nowadays and, “isn’t something you would be able to get at Michael’s …and do at home.”
Jackson also talked about what the inspiration was behind the other show-stopping pieces on display: plexiglass art. “It randomly happened to me, project-wise, in college… I was up late one night and had a project due the next day and there was a piece of plexiglass next to me that I started working on.”
She added that when she taught at SDA 10 years ago, she wanted kids to work on more mediums than just paper. “I was able to find a place where they had plexiglass for free and I’ve found that students really liked it, so I’ve done the project with the classes over the years,” she said.
Back inside of the Mosaic, sophomores Cordelia Degher, Maddi Blake, and Kennady Tracy stole the attention from all attendees at the gathering as they closed the night by playing upbeat originals.
“We usually play separate, but whenever we can, we get together to write and play,” Degher said. All of the girls are looking to pursue a future in the music industry and are trying to make these dreams happen by playing at Java Joe’s, a downtown San Diego cafe, festivals and street fairs, and at the House of Blues.
The multi-talented trio all play piano and guitar as well as sing. This Friday, students can expect Tracy to perform the national anthem at the winter assembly and in the upcoming weeks, Degher to sing the national anthem at a basketball game.
The group is trying to book a show at Lestat’s Cafe and will be regulars at upcoming open-mic events down on the 101, near Hansen’s, starting this February.
As 7 o’clock came, the painted faces of a harlequin and a Darth Maul retreated to their cars and left for the next destination with smiles on their faces.

Reporter Brook Komar contributed to this story.