Big billowy clouds surrounded the peaks at Mission Trails Regional Park when Robie Arnolds, a teacher of fine arts of Valhalla High School, breezed into the Visitors’ Center. She walked over to where her students’ artwork hung on the walls.
“Beautiful day, isn’t it?” she said to the front desk receptionist. “And the art looks lovely in the natural light here. My compliments to Vicki DeLong, who is a master at displaying the work.”
Big billowy clouds surrounded the peaks at Mission Trails Regional Park when Robie Arnolds, a teacher of fine arts of Valhalla High School, breezed into the Visitors’ Center. She walked over to where her students’ artwork hung on the walls.
“Beautiful day, isn’t it?” she said to the front desk receptionist. “And the art looks lovely in the natural light here. My compliments to Vicki DeLong, who is a master at displaying the work.”
This year is the 4th annual that the students’ work of Arnold and several other art and photography teachers within the Grossmont Union High School district have exhibited at MTRP.
“Art in the Park” exhibit showcases some of the finest work by students in beginning to advanced fine art, digital art, photography, and mixed media. “The students are the stars of the show,” said Arnold, who has been an arts teacher for 26 years.
Don Martin, whose daughter Camille Publico of West Hills High School had two watercolors, certainly agreed with Arnold.
“Camille has a God-given gift,” said Martin, as he admired his daughter’s watercolor of New York City.
Publico, 17, smiled shyly. “My teacher, Mr. VanDyke, shows students that he cares. He is even making sure that I get my name out there,” said Publico, who wants to be an art major at PLNU.
“We’re hoping she gets a scholarship,” said Martin proudly.
Publico pointed to a photograph by Mikayla Perritt. The photograph was of Spreckels Theater and a hand holding a cell phone taking a picture of the theater.
“Mikayla is my best friend. We were walking around downtown and she got this picture. That’s my hand holding the phone,” she said, positioning her hand in front of the photograph.
Eileen Mandell, teacher of digital art and photography at Grossmont High school, also admired all the work of the students. She was the key person in getting the students’ work to be exhibited, approaching DeLong with the idea.
“I thought this space would be a perfect place to exhibit the work of the students. Most students have never been in a gallery before, so seeing their own art along with other students becomes very meaningful.
“It helps them value their own art and themselves,” Mandell said.
Another proud parent was Vanessa Billen whose daughter Rebecca Dunn of El Capitan High School had a photograph of her brother Dominic in the exhibit. The glaring expression on his face, smeared with black paint, grabs the viewer right away.
Dunn explained that she had been given a portrait assignment for her photography class. She decided to do a portrait of her 12-year-old brother.
“I literally had to drag Dominic away from his video games. So he was already upset about that.
“But when I smeared black Pint over his face and hair, he really got angry and concerned that the paint would not come out of his hair before school the next Monday. But it did,” she said, smiling at him, who was standing next to her.
Though the photo was whimsical, Dunn is serious about continuing her study of art.
“Rebecca is talented in a variety of media. She even has her own website,” said Haughey.
“I’ve been doing art since I can remember. I’m in a photo class now so that I can take AP Student Art next year,” Dunn said.
Grossmont High School student Alex Harris also had a couple of photographs in the exhibit. His photograph entitled “America’s Finest Skyline” had a red dot on the mat, indicating it had been sold.
“Four copies, actually,” Harris said, with a big grin.
Harris used a Nikon D5000 to shoot the skyline from the Coronado shoreline in the evening.
“I went out there with my girlfriend. We were there for about an hour and a half. I took about 100 photos.
“You’ll notice that the waves are blurred. That’s on purpose. And a boat was going by so you see a streak of light from the long exposure,” he said.
Though Harris is in a first year photography class, he has been using a camera for six years, starting with an Olympus point-and-shoot.
“I’ve always liked having the ability to show what is going on. I would like to make photography a career, but if I can’t, I’ll pursue it as a hobby,” he said.
Harris said that his photography class helped out a lot because the school has cameras and materials they can check out—“and all the advice we need,” he said.
The ‘Art in the Park’ exhibit at the Visitors’ Center is open to the public daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
