The Chesterton Art Center features the work of Chesterton High School artists, including many paintings, from March 4 through March 15

Patrick Mochen
Onwardtrojans.com

The Chesterton Art Center will feature artwork from Chesterton High School students from March 4 to March 15.
The projects, brought to the exhibit by the high school’s art teachers, range from printmaking, painting, drawing, jewelry, photography, and more.
The CAC, located at 115 S. Fourth St., is open from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on weekdays and 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturdays. On March 12, there will be an "opening" from 5 p.m to 7 p.m.
“Chicago on Fire”, an oil painting by senior Isabel Bartkus, is among the paintings to be displayed.
“I took J. M. W. Turner’s paintings of tragedies as inspiration when it came to the contrast of light and shadow during the nighttime scene,” Bartkus said. “This piece is supposed to demonstrate how politics have started tearing apart modern America. I loved my use of colors, which were almost all straight from the bottle. It was my first time using oil paints, which made learning how to blend and make things lighter a struggle.”
The most impressive part of the painting may be that Bartkus did all of it without the help from her teacher. For a period of time, her class was under the direction of a long-term substitute teacher. Oftentimes, a little guidance on technique can boost a student’s artistic confidence, but Bartkus did her painting with no assistance. Bartkus has taken six different art classes during her high school career, three of them photography classes.
“My favorite class I've taken in high school is a tie between Photography 3 and IB Art,” Bartkus said. “Both classes are built on former foundations from other classes, but they both allow for creative freedom to come up with my own ideas for assignments, and I am not restricted by any specific topic to paint or photograph.”
Mr. Adam Schultz teaches photography and Mrs. Taylor McGuirl teaches painting and IB Art. The high school offers Intro to 2d Art, Ceramics 1-4, Digital Design 1-4, Drawing 1-4, Jewelry 1-4, Painting 1-4, Photography 1-4, Printmaking 1-4, Visual Communication 1-4, and IB Art.
Most art classes are one semester long, so some students can take quite a few art classes over their four years in high school. Students who walk down the art hallway can admire artwork from the display cases, although they are mostly empty right now as teachers choose pieces to send to the art gallery.