Meet our Grade 12 IB Visual Arts Students

Our Grade 12 students in the IB visual arts and the academic art courses have come together this term to complete the International Baccalaureate visual arts program. The students are preparing for their final exhibition and exam which will take place in April.

 

Beginning April 7, the exhibition will be displayed for two weeks in our Stanfield Dining Hall/McLellan Annex.

 

It has taken months of preparation, and each student is required to produce a number of studio artworks based on their direction or theme. This year, we have 18 Grade 12 students who will be exhibiting their work. The Grade 11 students will also take part in this exhibition by assisting the Grade 12 students with their displays, and they will also be given the opportunity to exhibit two of their artworks.

 

We are pleased to introduce our IB artists below!

 

Kris is from Taoyuan, Taiwan and has been at KES for four years.
What artwork did you choose to share?
I chose “Taipei 101” which is a pencil drawing. This building was the tallest building in the world from 2004-2007. It is now the tenth tallest building in the world. This is a very famous building in Taiwan, and it has inspired me to study architecture. I also chose this building to write and research for my comparative study in the International Baccalaureate visual arts course. After the research, I had discovered that it was built on soft soil, so the builders had to extend the foundation pipes to the sandstone which distributes the weight of the building and gives it the height.
Future plans: My future plans are to study architecture.

Bella Turner-Galaise is from North River, Prince Edward Island and has been at KES for four years.
What artwork did you choose to share?
I chose this large painting of “Finn” to share with everyone which is an acrylic painting (36 inches by 42 inches). It was inspired by a photograph that I took at Borden, overlooking the Confederation Bridge. I grew up in this area and have a lot of childhood memories there. This photo of Finn (my brother) reminded me of these memories, playing in the water. I have experimented using other paint but decided to use acrylic paint for this work. I also wanted to include the Confederation Bridge to represent Prince Edward Island. It was one of the first times that I had worked on this large format. My artwork that will be displayed in the IB exhibition is focused on my family enjoying the water as well as the theme of wrestling which is one of my passions.
Future plans: I plan to attend university and pursue wrestling.

Maya Faucher is from Quebec and Nova Scotia and has been at KES for seven years.
What artwork did you choose to share?
I chose the series “Summer 2021” of watercolours to share with everyone. Since Grade 11, I have had an interest in watercolours and wanted to work more with this medium in Grade 12. I was also inspired by the transfer project that we did this year in art class. This watercolour series includes six small watercolours that represents happy times that I had with my friends in the summer of 2021. I wanted to create a series and decided to display them together within the same frame. The colours are warm which represent the summer days and my favourite days of the summer. The rest of my work reflects my family and the places that I have lived which will be on display in the IB exhibition in April.
Future plans: I plan to attend Saint Frances Xavier University.

Gabby Thong is from Trinidad and Tobago and has been at KES for two years.
What artwork did you choose to share?
I decided to share the drawing “Library Spiral Staircase” with everyone. I did this drawing for my interior design portfolio. I chose this staircase in the library because of the intricate design and the history of the library building which is on the School property. I drew this from observation, and I also took a few photos to help with the light source. This is one of the most intricate and detailed drawing that I have completed. My artwork that will be on display during the IB exhibition is a combination of mixed media, sculpture and painting which all reflect my culture and my home. This drawing is important to me since it reflects our school which in a sense is my home too.
Future plans: I plan to attend university in Canada.

Will Mercer is from Port Williams, Nova Scotia, and he has been at KES for four years.
Which artwork did you choose to share?
I chose to share my clay sculpture “Emotions” (27 cm x 38 cm) because it was a change for me. I had previously constructed another large clay bust at the beginning of COVID-19, but it didn’t survive the pandemic. (It had dried before it was fired in the kiln.) I was inspired by the Romantic period and especially the sculptors, and one artist in particular, Auguste Preault. The Romantic period focuses on emotions, strong senses, the individual and drama. I chose the material clay to create this sculpture because I wanted to show emotions. I was drawn to this art because you can feel and see the expressions, and this is what attracted me to this art period. The sculpture process is started with a solid block of clay, then you shape the head, neck and shoulders. When it is completed, it must be hollow in order to survive the firing process. You cut the sculpture in half to hollow it and then put it back together, dry it and then fire it twice in the kiln. The temperature reaches around 1000 degrees Celsius. My artwork in the IB exhibition in April reflects who I am as an artist and the things that influence me.
Future plans: I plan to attend university in Ontario.

Kerry is from Shandong, Jinan, China, and she has been at KES for two years.
Which artwork did you choose to share?
I chose my acrylic painting “Wenbo Shang”. Wenbo Shang is a well-known actor, singer and artist in China. He is my idol. He is more known for his acting and singing but I wanted to show him as an artist. This is a picture of him drawing the universe. He chose tints and shades in a maroon colour. This was one of my first major paintings after arriving at KES and I am very proud of it. During the IB exhibition in April, the rest of my artwork will be a reflection of me, and my culture.
Future plans: I plan to study media studies at a university in Canada.

Annie is from Beijing, China, and she has been at KES for four years.
Which artwork did you choose to share?
“My Dream Dress” is one of the first oil paintings that I did when I arrived at KES. I started ballet lessons in Grade 6 and took them for two years and this dance and subject interests me very much. I was inspired by the Impressionist artist Degas when I did my research for this painting. I am also using Degas in my comparative study which is a component of IB visual arts program. I chose the colours blue and purple because they represents dreams to me. In the upcoming IB art show, the work that I will be presenting will be about my culture and my interests.

Tait is from both California and Nova Scotia, and he has been at KES for two years.
Which artwork did you choose to share?
I chose this painting “Mixed Chaos” which is an acrylic on stretched canvas to share with everyone because it is one of my favourite paintings. I like the texture and the gradation of warm colours that descend into chaos and then fade together. My theme this year is “Beauty within Chaos”, and I tried using this theme throughout my artwork. I will be part of the art exhibition in April.



Kevin is from Zhengzhou, China, and he has been at KES for five years.
Which artwork did you choose to share?
I chose to share the drawing “Motor for the Ford Cortina” with everyone since I am very interested in engines and cars. For the subject, I chose the Ford Cortina since it is a very popular car in the British racing culture, especially in the 1970s and 1980s. The engine is produced by Lotus, and it is one of the most successful engines in the race car circle. I used a pencil to create the lights, darks and shapes. In the upcoming IB art show, I will be displaying artwork around my interests.
Future plans: I plan to study mechanical engineering.

Joon is from Jiangsu, China City, Lianynngang, and has been at KES for three years.
Which artwork did you choose to share?
I chose to share my oil painting “The Garden” because it reminds me of home. I took this photograph of our garden and wanted to do a painting of it. This was the first oil painting that I completed. I wanted to use warm colours to reflect the sunlight. The rest of my artwork in the upcoming show is based around my culture here and in China.
Future plans: I want to attend university in Canada.

Kevin is from mainland China, Shenzhen, and he has been at KES for four years.
Which artwork did you choose to share?
I chose to share my large, self-portrait (122 cm x 122cm). This was inspired by a photography series of myself, and I used a spotlight to create a high-contrast image. When I printed the image, I wanted to use only black, white and gray. I was very pleased with the results. I will also be exhibiting the photos that inspired this painting in our upcoming IB exhibition.
Future plans: I want to attend university in Canada, studying art media and communications at University of Toronto.