Brothers shine as artists at Sonoma Elementary

Brothers Seungyeol, a fifth grader, and Jaeyeol Baek, a second grader, are both students at Sonoma Elementary School, and both have “been sending in some amazing artwork,” said Sharla Estep, who teaches art at Sonoma and Jornada elementaries.

For one project, Jaeyeol made a clay monster, and for another, he studied the work of artist Pablo Picasso and used geometric shapes to draw a cubist tree, Estep said.

Among his art projects, Seungyeol created art using a one-point perspective, and studied the work of Sandra Silberzweig, a Canadian-born painter of “visionary outsider art,” according to https://sandra-silberzweig.pixels.com/. He then creates an abstract portrait influenced by her artwork, Estep said.

 Seungyeol’s work based on Silberzweig’s art “took my breath away, and I got goosebumps when I saw it,” Estep said.

“Teaching art online so far this year has definitely been a challenge, for both teachers and students,” Estep said. “The projects we do can only require the most basic of supplies, because we have to take into account that some students have no art supplies at home. For my projects, I tend to push the idea of personal expression for my students, especially during this time when they may not have much control over what is going on in their home life. Learning to express themselves through their artwork can be a healthy way to get those feelings out. I’m grateful I’m in the position to still connect with my students, and hopefully give them a bright spot in their week of online classes.”