Anjali Bose ‘20:
Catherine Spellman ‘19 is February’s Artist of the Month. During her time in Middle and Upper School at Episcopal, Spellman has developed strong skills in both 2D and 3D design. “I took Foundations of Art freshman year, so I got a little bit of everything. Then each year after that, I’ve always just liked and been better at 2D and 3D. I took 2D my sophomore year and this year I’m in Honors 3D,” she explained.
Throughout both of these classes, Spellman has made a variety of oil paintings, prints, and sculptures, one of which won her a Gold Key from the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards. The Gold Key that Spellman received was from her 2D class with David Sigel, Chair of the Visual Arts Department and Upper School teacher. Describing her experience, Spellman said, “I worked with Mr. Sigel and did a lot of oil paintings, and lots of printing and things with paper… When I painted, I was definitely into and better at more realistic stuff. I loved the process of taking something from the actual world and keeping it that way in the painting… I also received a Gold Key from the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards for something that I painted in his class. It was of a pheasant in an oil painting. I liked painting that one a lot.”
This year, Spellman is taking Honors 3D and she gave a brief overview of the course, “In 3D with Ms. Hutchison, I do a lot of sculpting. Right now we’re making these clay sculptures of our heads and soon we’re going to be making legs.” Spellman is particularly interested in sculpting and explained her interest by saying, “I like to be more hands on with what I’m doing. I like to move my art around and sort of feel it for myself. I also really liked woodworking and photography, but I’m more passionate about being able to start from scratch and create my own thing.” Through sculpting and her growth as an artist, Spellman’s personal precise style has developed. “A lot of my work is very clean,” she elaborated, “I aim for lots of straight lines and smoothness.”
Hillary Hutchison, Upper School 3D Art Teacher, has now taught Spellman on three separate occasions as of this year. “I actually have had Cat as a student in my classes as a Middle Schooler, as a Foundations of Art student, and now as a student taking the Honors 3D Design III class,” she explained. “Her work continues to develop at a high rate of success. Cat is very talented, but more importantly she takes her work seriously and works hard… She has a strong sense of craftsmanship and pushes herself consistently to make her best work.”
Brooke Kraftson ‘19 agreed with Hutchison, “Cat is an inspiring friend and she’s so creative with everything she encounters. Whatever the task is, she puts her heart and soul in it, therefore I’m not surprised that she got a Gold Key.”
Another classmate, Camilla Stapleton ‘19 elaborated on Spellman’s history with art, “Cat and I have been best friends since second grade. We always used to make art projects whenever we went to her house. Obviously her talent as an artist has grown immensely and there’s never a time when I don’t see her in the art rooms working on some amazing new project.”
Although her talents and skills in both 2D and 3D art came to life after taking Foundations of Art, Spellman has loved art her entire life. “I’ve always been a pretty creative person. I loved to color and do arts and crafts,” she explained. “I love anything where I can just create, it was always like a de-stresser for me. Even now, if I’m having a stressful week of school, I’ll just go home and color while I watch TV.”
Spellman also cited Episcopal’s art teachers as amazing mentors who have encouraged her art and helped her passion grow, “The teachers are really great. They’re always so supportive and make me really excited to create more art.”
Spellman encouraged her fellow classmates to enroll in art classes at Episcopal, “Art classes are a great way to get to know other people because classes are so diverse in terms of students, both in regards to grades and stylistic preferences. You get the chance to connect with people that you might not necessarily get the chance to connect with in an English or math class,” Spellman stated. “It’s really cool to get to see people and their personalities through their art while being outside of that strictly academic environment. Art is definitely something that has helped me to grow and be inspired to achieve a lot more.”