Hampton Academy opens Art Show at Lane Memorial Library

Hampton Academy has an art show going on at the Lane Memorial Library throughout the month of February. The opening night reception was held on February 2nd. This is the fifth year that Jane Copp’s art students have shown their work at the library and the first year that 8th grade work is included. The purpose behind having the show at the Library is to allow the community an opportunity to see the wonderful work that is done at Hampton Academy. The library’s function room is a perfect space for art displays. Mrs. Copp borrowed display panels from WHS to add a dimension to the show this year. She likes to have an “Opening Night” reception to mimic what it might be like to be an artist in NYC having one’s work on exhibit for the first time. The art show represents each student in her art classes. Everyone has at least one piece on display. This is very important concept for her—that every student be represented and that excellence in the visual arts is attainable.

This year, the 6th grades have Oaxacan sculptures displayed in the case outside the function room. These were made with Model Magic compound and are part of an integrating unit on the art and culture of South and Latin America. Paper folding landscapes, Harlequin Mask mobiles, colored pencil drawings of flower vases and birds are also part of their display. Birch tree watercolor paintings are the result of an introductory unit that teaches many skills such as wet-on-wet washes, underpainting and spattering. India Folk Art Paintings explore the culture and motifs used in that region of our world.

7th grade displays involve new materials such as the gummed paper used to make
symmetrical designs. Islamic designs using a cool color palette are part of an integrated unit on world religions. Automobile and Primitive landscape drawings were also on display. The landscapes were composed after studying the work of Charles Wysocki and using the principles of pictorial perspective.

The wonderful watercolor paintings of trout, butterflies and seashells were done by 8th grades as they developed more skill and vision in how to use this medium. Mask designs were developed using colored masking tape in a mosaic fashion. Candy bar wrapper drawings were drawn in colored pencil with an emphasis on realism, shadow and highlights. Pen and ink barn landscapes were composed after studying the work of American artist Eric Sloane. Elongated form and expressionism were developed in 8th grade Modigliani inspired portraits.

Mrs. Copp graduated from UNH with a degree in Art Education. She has been teaching for 21 years. This is her 5th year at Hampton Academy. She came from a family of educators. Her father was a professor at Dartmouth for 32 years and her grandmother taught in a one room school house in Montana. Mrs. Copp recalls that greatest influence in art came from living in Switzerland as a middle school student and visiting all the art museums in Europe.

Story and photos by Linda Libbey