Art Archives - Page 2 of 3 - the bird on fire

“O Romeo, Romeo, wherefore art thou Romeo?”

December 8, 2023 by szachik@pvs.org 2 Comments

Gone. Romeo’s gone–at least the PVS version of Romeo is gone. If you missed last week’s PVS Drama Department enactment of Romeo and Juliet, here’s guest blogger Lily Jones with the recap.

By Junior Lily Jones

This play really exceeded my expectations. I thought it was really good. Abby, Anais, Mirabelle, and I went on Saturday night, and it was a really nice night to hang out with friends and watch some good Shakespeare. I like the idea of having the play in the little amphitheater outside; it has a nice atmosphere (even if I was freezing to death). I kind’ve felt like I was at a drive-in movie with my friends on a Friday night, so the vibes were really nice. The set looked really, really cool. The shading on the columns was on point (shoutout Rylie Conway). I liked the ladder as Juliet’s window, I thought that was very creative.

I also thought it was cool that the art classes helped create the sets; I liked the collaboration and sense of community. Anais, Abby, and Mirabelle pointed out which parts of the set they had helped paint, which was fun. I also think it’s fun that they collaborate with outside companies for food; it makes it feel like a really nice event. The tacos were really, really good.

I remember a critique I had from last year’s play was that I could barely hear anything. This time, that wasn’t a problem. There were microphones, and I could hear everyone perfectly!

The costumes were beautiful. I especially liked Mel’s dress; it looked really pretty. Shayan’s costume was also really cool. I thought that the fight scenes were super cool, and the choreography looked very realistic. Zander did an amazing job. His emotions and the way he said his lines was just amazing. I thought his death scene was super good. Lorelai’s death scene was also crazy. She actually just face-planted into the floor, and Anais, Abby, Mirabelle, and I were very impressed with her commitment to the scene (but we were also a little scared because it looked like it hurt.) Matteo and Emerson did a really great job as Romeo and Juliet. There were a lot of sweet and cute scenes. Indy also did an amazing job as the friar. I loved the passion and emotion that he said his lines with. I also think Shayan did a great job. Mel did a good job with her emotions when Emerson “died.” Even though Abby, Anais, Mirabelle, and I know what happens in Romeo and Juliet, we still found ourselves being sad and gasping when someone died. Alex was amazing as the nurse. We all noticed his makeup, and it looked really good, so whoever was on hair and makeup absolutely slayed his makeup.

Overall, the play was a great community event. I was really happy to see so many people in the audience. This play was amazing, and I think it’s definitely something for the drama students to be proud of because it was really good.

Lily’s Beautifying the World

December 1, 2023 by szachik@pvs.org Leave a Comment

Junior Lily Jones and PVS Art Teacher Mr. Wendt-West

PVS Art Teacher Mr. Wendt-West announced that the SunLine Transit’s 8^th Annual Student Art Contest recently announced their finalists for this year, which includes our very own Lily Jones representing Palm Valley School!

Says Mr. Wendt-West, “This is truly a great honor and achievement as this is the 2nd year in a row that Lily has been selected as a finalist in the Sunline Annual Art Contest! Incredible!”

He continues, “There were many amazing submissions this year from throughout the Coachella Valley and we want to congratulate Lily Jones for the artwork she submitted. Please join us in recognizing the participation and creative talents of Lily sharing her artwork with the broader community.”

On Tuesday November 21st there was an event at Sunline for the unveiling of the winners. Sunline Board members, community members, and sponsors presented the awards to the finalists. The winning student artwork was on display. Below is Lily’s award-winning graphic work.

Congratulations, Poet Lily

November 24, 2023 by szachik@pvs.org 1 Comment

PVS Junior Lily Jones was selected–second year in a row–as a Finalist for Riverside County Teen Poet Laureate. As well, Lily was the recipient of the Jane Block Prize for Environmentalist Teen Poetry. Jane Block is a celebrated environmentalist, feminist, and children’s services activist in the Inland Empire. Below is a picture of Lily with Ms. Block at the November 14th ceremony. The recognition of teen poets is hosted by the Riverside County Office of Education and the Inlandia Institute. Together, the two publish a chapbook of the winning poems. Lily’s poem “The Miner’s Song” is included in that chapbook. You can find the chapbook with Lily’s poem in county libraries, or read it here at thebirdonfire.org.

Christa Jones, mother of Lily, said of the celebration of young county poets, “As a parent, the event filled me with hope for the future.”

Lily with Ms. Block.jpg — Lily is the 2023 recipient of the **Jane Block Prize for Environmentalist Teen Poetry**. She is pictured here with Ms. Block at Riverside County’s Teen Poet Laureate awards ceremony.

The Miner’s Song

by Lily Jones

If pressure creates diamonds

then I hope my mind is a coal mine,

filled with twisting dark tunnels.

A place where soot coats my fingers as I

sift through the rocks,

the thoughts that are crowded together,

clumped by feeling,

left to wilt quietly within deep tunnels.

I’m left alone to find the gem,

to dig deep and mine

the thought in the rough.

The words covered in soot

that will bleed silver when extracted.

Let this thought spill out,

overflowing with my forgotten spoken voice,

a diamond from a void of coal,

the shards cutting my heart deeply.

The greatest exchange of all is words,

so please give me your heart

and I will lay mine bare,

stripped from barriers and lies,

splayed out only through paper and ink as

my words build friends out of paragraphs,

and I build safe houses out of poems.

The Only Real Artist in the Family–My Grandmother

November 9, 2022 by szachik@pvs.org 1 Comment

By Junior Levi Kassinove

Our PVS bloggers explored art and artists. Levi went close to home with his favorite artist, . . . his grandmother.

I know my writings are usually pretty…avant garde–and not exactly in ways that have clear merit, either. (See “A Clam Thanksgiving.”) My grandma, on the other hand, possesses an artist gene that she clearly refused to pass on. Nobody else in my family is even good at drawing. Working as an art therapist for 23 years in a community mental health clinic gave my grandmother a unique, empathetic perspective on people with mental illnesses. I interviewed her recently about how her experiences in the clinic shaped the way she painted, and this is what she had to say.

Me: Let’s start from the beginning. Who are you besides my grandma?

Tina: My name is Tina Kassinove, and I have been painting for over 50 years. I lived in New York for most of my life and moved out here to the desert around five years ago.

Me: Why did you become an artist?

Tina: I’ve always loved art, even as a young child and more so around the age of seven. As I went into elementary school and to higher grades, I was always asked to go down to the lower grades to teach kids art. It was always something I loved. Maybe I’ve always felt the need to express myself through art because expressing myself verbally was not my skill.

Me: What kinds of paintings were you originally making?

Tina: Early on in my career, I did hardline acrylics. There is no blurring of one area into another. Every aspect of the painting is clearly defined. Mentally, I was very rigid in my application of the art, and I was not allowing myself to freely paint what I wanted. I was not comfortable with who I was as an artist. Later on, working as an art therapist for the mentally ill just…freed me up. It really did. It gave so much more dimension to my life and to who I was. When I moved here, to [the Coachella Valley], I immediately embraced the beauty of the mountains and the colors of the foliage, which freed me up even further. I’ve allowed myself to not let the concepts that I come up with control my art, but let the canvases control my concepts.

Me: You’ve done a lot of paintings about mental health; can you talk about those?

Tina: Working as an art therapist gave me such insight into the pain and suffering of those that grow up with mental illness. Everytime I completed a work, I would see something that reflects one of those patients and their struggles in that artwork. I also think that during my time working at the community mental health center, I gained insight into the workings of the mind and how nothing is black and white. There are so many grays and colors in between that really transformed who I am as an artist today.

Me: Did you have any famous artists that you looked up to?

Tina: I absolutely did. I loved Mondrian, for instance. Some of my paintings earlier on, even now, reflect Mondrian. When I graduated from college and was developing my skills, I also liked Picasso and Lichtenstein.

Me: If you had to pick a favorite painting, what would you choose?

Tina: If I had to pick? Honestly, I think that one over there, “Coexistence.” I think the reason why is because of how the painting developed, and how I saw difficulties with it and just went with them. And, it turned out to be successful. I allowed the shapes to guide me.

(Side note, this is what she meant by the canvases controlling her concepts.)

Me: Lastly, if you had advice for young aspiring artists, what would it be?

Tina: Have faith in yourself, and never give up, and…let the experiences in your life guide you. Just allow yourself to be free and express yourself.

I don’t know, that doesn’t sound so good. Help me out here. You can tweak it, you know? Make me sound real good, kiddo.

Truly, it is difficult for artists to define why they do what they do. It is also difficult for them to give advice. Anyone who plays with emotion, color, and philosophy is bound to be somewhat mystifying. It seems that artists have a unique approach to life, in that they let it wash over them without thinking too much about the logistics. With Covid, most people would complain and lie in their beds all day. At the end of the ordeal they’d complain more about it to their friends and family. My grandma would choose to make a painting to express how she felt. How exactly a painting captures her experience is up to your interpretation. Also, you can find more of her art at https://www.tinakassinove.com/.

“Weathering my storm” by Tina Kassinove, the Covid painting

Alyna’s Favorite Artist

October 13, 2022 by szachik@pvs.org 1 Comment

By Alyna Rei

The Blog Staff is highlighting local, familial, and world-renowned artists. Alyna shares with us her favorite painting–Vincent Van Gogh’s “The Starry Night.”

I’m not a person who is a big fan of paintings and other artwork. Mine is sort of a one-second appreciation, and then I would forget about the artwork. But, there is one painting that really stands out to me. I’m pretty sure everyone has heard of the “Starry Night” painting by Vincent Van Gogh. This painting is really popular to many people, and since it captivates me so much, I decided to write about it.

What is the history of “The Starry Night” painting?

The painting first started when Van Gogh was in a mental hospital getting treatment. He grew stronger, but, sadly, he had a relapse of instability. He fell into sadness and started having hallucinations and suicidal thoughts (vangoghgallery.com). As a result, the tone of his work changed. His use of the darker hues from the beginning of his work was reinstated, and Starry Night is a superb illustration of that change. The picture is dominated by blue, which melds the hills with the sky. The small settlement is depicted at the bottom of the painting in shades of brown, gray, and blue. The yellow and white of the stars and the moon stand out against the sky, attracting the eyes to the sky, even though each building is clearly highlighted in black. The buildings are one of the painting’s main focal points and one of the main draws.

Why do I like this painting so much?

I like this painting mostly because of the way it presents itself. The colors and the ambience match each other, which is what made me like this painting even more. For some reason, this painting reminds me of “Claire De Lune” by Claude Debussy. Both the song and the painting convey a calm peaceful night to me. Listening to the music and observing the painting, the atmosphere puts me at ease.

Where is this painting held?

This painting is being held in The Museum Of Modern Art in New York. This painting has been a permanent piece at the museum since 1941, and it is one of the most recognizable pieces in Western Art.

I love this piece so much that I have a Lego set of The Starry Night. This piece doesn’t really look like the real painting, but it’s a pretty similar comparison–in the medium of Lego.

This Lego set of The Starry Night was constructed by Alyna and now sits on her shelf in her room.

Comedy Tonight at PVS

May 3, 2022 by szachik@pvs.org Leave a Comment

By Oliver Martinez, Middle-School Correspondent

Comedy tonight was a theater show where students at PVS performed multiple plays that aimed to bring a smile to whomever was watching. The PVS theater classes prepared for over a month for this show. The show played Wednesday, April 6th, Thursday the 7th, and Friday the 8th. Some plays or songs that were part of the show included the beginning scene of the Wizard of Oz, Pure Imagination, Good Morning Baltimore, The Gold Rush, The Cat in the Hat and so much more!

I have interviewed students who acted in the play compilation.

I asked them what role they played and if they enjoyed it.

“In Comedy Tonight I was one of the MC speakers, and I was also the Pawn Shop Man/Frankie in Gold Rush, written by Oliver, Tal and Zander. I did really enjoy both of these parts, especially Frankie in Gold Rush.”
Sherwin Hemmati

“I was part of the opening quartet, Jeff in Gold Rush, Tin Man in Wizard of Oz and solo singing ‘My Favorite Things.’ I really enjoyed all of them.”
Tal Maruvada

“I was part of the sonnets and of the MC. I didn’t really like doing the sonnets, but I liked doing the MC.”
Michael Pete

The Production Team’s Perspective:

As part of the Production Team, I was helping in lights and was stage manager. I’d say this was a really successful play because we got laughs from the audience, everyone remembered their lines, and the production team made few errors.

Fellow Production Team member Kayliee Augustine-Sails agrees:

“I’m part of the lights, and I think it went well. The actors did their job.”

I have also interviewed members of the audience:

“My favorite part of the play was Good Morning Baltimore. But everything else was good, too.”
Timothy Reed

“I liked Comedy Tonight, but it took a long time to finish. My favorite play was Gold Rush.”
Donavan Knott

*Gold Rush* actors in this scene include, from left to right, Oliver Martinez, Zander Eaton, Tal Maruvada, and Sherwin Hemmati.

Lastly, here are a few words from our director Mr. Hilbert:

“I liked how we had different types of comedy. The acting was good; the singing was good. I’m really proud of all the actors.”
Mr. Hilbert

Comedy Tonight was an amazing experience, hopefully we see more people in future plays. Like . . . High School Musical! PVS’s next production, High School Musical, premieres next week, May 10th and plays through the 13th. Get your tickets now with Ms. Greer at the Middle-School Desk.

Isabella Goetschel Prepares for Poetry Out Loud State Competition

March 4, 2022 by szachik@pvs.org Leave a Comment

By Lilah Nick

On February 7th, Senior Isabella Goetschel found out that she won the Riverside county-level competition for the Poetry Out Loud, the national poetry recitation competition. You might remember; Isabella was our school winner. She advanced to county competition, won, and this means she will move on to the state-level competition. If Izzy wins at State, she will be awarded $200 and will move onto nationals. (The competition is virtual again this year; otherwise, Isabella would also win a trip to D.C. for two.) I asked Izzy what she was doing to prepare for the competition.

Preparing for state-level Poetry Out Loud has been really interesting. I got to pick a new poem, which is really exciting for me because there are so many options and possibilities. I finally picked “The Man He Killed” by Thomas Hardy as my third poem. For preparation, I’ve had some meetings with Mr. Sarkis [former Palm Valley Drama teacher]. He’s really helped me perfect each poem and, of course, none of it would have been possible without the help of Ms. Zachik who helped me register and get set up. It’s a lot less stressful this year because the competition is online, so I can record my poems. That definitely has its own set of challenges though. The rules for the videos are quite strict, and let’s just say I had a very unstable stack of boxes to get my phone to the required height. Overall though, it’s really fun to be able to perform, even if it’s on a recording in my room rather than in front of people.”
Isabella Goetschel

Isabella must recite, from memory and with displayed and conveyed understanding, one poem that is pre-20th Century. She again is reciting “Epitaph” by Katherine Philips–the poem with which she won the Palm-Valley competition. She also must recite one poem that is 25 lines or fewer. She’ll bring John Berryman’s “Dream Song 14” to the competition to satisfy that requirement. Then, should she advance to the finals during state competition, she will need a third poem. That’s when Thomas Hardy’s “The Man He Killed” comes into play. We’ve reprinted the poem for you here.

The state competition poems and video entries are due to POL this Monday, March 7th. The judging takes place the following Tuesday and Wednesday. We should hear on the 11th who advances to the National Poetry Out Loud Competition. We will all be cheering for Izzy!

The Man He Killed

By Thomas Hardy

“Had he and I but met

By some old ancient inn,

We should have sat us down to wet

Right many a nipperkin!

“But ranged as infantry,

And staring face to face,

I shot at him as he at me

And killed him in his place.

“I shot him dead becuase —

Because he was my foe,

Just so: my foe of corse he was;

That’s clear enough; although

“He thought he’d ‘list, perhaps,

Off-hand like — just as I —

Was out of work — had sold his traps —

No other reason why.

“Yes; quaint and curious war is!

You shoot a fellow down

You’d treat if me where any bar is

Or help to half-a-crown.”

The Archon War: Part 1

December 15, 2021 by szachik@pvs.org Leave a Comment

Our Genshin Impact expert Izumi is back again, this time with an exciting trilogy that will lead you down a cold and stormy path of war. What a cliffhanger! Want to know what comes next? Find out next blog installation as the saga continues. – Jesse Denyer, Editor

By Izumi, Middle-School Gaming Correspondent

The Archon War is a huge event in Genshin Impact. The Archon War is at the base of the whole game story. The Archon War is still unknown as to how it started or why, and there is no information on how the victors or losers were decided, or how the nations divided. According to the non-playable character Soraya, “The war began as a struggle over the seven divine seats in Celestia. Those who struggled fought both for supremacy and to see their plans for a prosperous humanity come to fruition. However, not all gods participated in the war with the intent of taking a divine seat; some wanted simply to defend their territory; while others wanted to save as many people as possible from the destruction of the war” (genshin-impact.fandom.com).

After the Archon War, the seven Gods who won split into the seven nations of Teyvat, while the rest became evil, which leaves a lot of evil. To share all of the information of the Archon War and the events during it, I will split it into two posts, the first post will be about Mondstadt, and how it got its first and only Anemo Archon.

2600 years ago, in the middle of the Archon War, there were two warring Gods, Decarabian the God of Storms, and Andrius the King of the North Winds. The two fought in Mondstadt. The Mondstadt nation was located in the northwest, where it would now be known as Stormterror’s Lair. The God of Anemo, Barbatos, didn’t exist at this point. Barbatos was nothing but a wisp of wind, an elf with almost no power. Monstadt was very cold. It was all snow and ice, cold air and endless blizzards–a condition that mortals could barely survive. This cold was all caused by Andrius, who not long ago obtained powers from a likely deceased God. Andrius wanted to start a war against Decarbian, who enclosed the city of Monstadt with a wall, making sure nothing came in or out. Andrius tried to attack the wall, but never left a scratch on it. Decarabian didn’t seem threatened and was only devoted to protecting his people. However, his people worshipped him out of fear, thinking he was trying to trap them from the outside world. (genshin-impact.fandom.com)

While Barbatos was a wisp of wind, he befriended a young bard who always dreamed of freedom. The bard left Decarabian’s walled city to save the Gunnhildr clan. He ended up living in a frozen wasteland, but the resulting faith of the Gunnhildrs empowered him. At one point, Barbatos and the young bard, alongside Decarabian’s disillusioned lover Amos and a knight, raised an army against Decarabian, God of Storms. They were victorious! The Archon Decarbian was slain and all of the people were saved from the stormy walled cage. Unfortunately, Amos and the bard did not survive the war, leaving Barbatos with lots of grief and regret. (genshin-impact.fandom.com)

In the end, Barbatos was given the title of the first and only Anemo Archon. In honor of the bard, Barbatos took the form of him and brought freedom to Mondstadt, ending the extreme cold and blizzards. He often visited the neighboring Archon Morax, who will be mentioned in the next blog post.

Put Picture to Words

October 15, 2021 by szachik@pvs.org Leave a Comment

Graphic Artists, we need you. National Poetry Month needs a poster. Create a graphic that features poet Amanda Gorman’s line: “There is a poem in this place–” Win money and esteem. The contest is open now through November 15. Details are below.

The Academy of American Poets invites students living in the United States, U.S. Territories, or Tribal Nations, in grades nine through twelve to enter artwork to be considered for the 2022 National Poetry Month Poster Contest for Students. The winner will be selected by judges Rafael López, -bestselling illustrator and artist, and Nikki Grimes, -bestselling author and poet and recipient of the 2020 ALAN Award for outstanding contributions to young adult literature.

One student’s winning artwork, which will incorporate “There is a poem in this place—” from Amanda Gorman’s poem, “In This Place (An American Lyric)”, will be featured on the official National Poetry Month poster in 2022. The Academy will distribute 100,000+ free copies of the poster to classrooms, libraries, bookstores, community centers, families, and individuals nationwide in time for the April celebration. The winning student will receive $1,000 in cash and prizes and be featured in magazine and on Poets.org, which reaches millions of readers each year. The judges will also select a runner-up to receive Honorable Mention and a $250 cash prize.

Submissions are open now until. The winner will be announced in January 2022.

For more information about the contest, including the full guidelines, visit: https://poets.org/national-poetry-month/national-poetry-month-poster-contest-students

Introducing Keqing from the Land of Liyue

September 2, 2021 by szachik@pvs.org 2 Comments

We introduce our Middle-School Correspondent who goes by “Izumi.” She brings us Keqing from the fictional Liyue, very much alive in the gaming world of Genshin Impact.

By Izumi, Middle-School Correspondent

Hello, and welcome to my first blog. Today, I have drawn a character from the game Genshin Impact, character Keqing (ke-ching).

Genshin Impact the Game

Genshin Impact is an action-story game made in China. People call it an RPG (role-play game), but I don’t really think it is. The game includes elemental abilities, which are called visions, to fight with, including hydro (water,) pyro (fire), dendro (nature), electro (electricity), geo (earth), cryo (ice), and anemo (wind). Characters are not born with visions, the gods in the game will give a vision once a character has earned it, by doing something heroic or proving their worth of holding a vision.

Introducing Keqing

Keqing is holding an electro vision. Keqing is a very determined and focused character who is always working; you might as well call her a workaholic. She does well at what she does. Liyue is the city she lives in, and she is a part of the Liyue Qixing (Chinese definition: Seven Stars of Liyue), an organization of seven merchants and business leaders who govern Liyue. The job of the Qixing is to implement the policies laid out by the Geo god, Morax, and manage the day to day governance of the nation of Liyue (genshin-impact.fandom.com).

How Keqing Earned Her Vision

Keqing knew that hard work would be rewarded by the gods, but she never thought she would get a vision from it. At first she hated that she got a vision. She tried multiple times to destroy it, but nothing worked. At one point, she decided to live with it, and in the process found many uses for it. Now, she regrets ever trying to destroy it because she realizes the value of the vision. It is very useful in being able to protect oneself.

Next post, I’ll talk about the story of Genshin and mythology it’s based off of!

–Izumi