Some spend half their day in the science wing or history hallways, but senior Dana Megargle spends her days in art teachers Mrs. Cara Deffenbaugh and Mr. David Jaffari’s classrooms. Megargle is enrolled in AP Studio Art as well as a combination art aid independent study in ceramics for the entire 2013-2014 school year.
“Art aid is like an office aid but instead they come here and help with any tasks we need help with,” Jaffari said “such as loading the kiln or mixing clay.”
Not only is this independent study beneficial to time contributed on work, but on the overall process of ceramics studios. Jaffari thinks it’s a unique experience because unlike in a ceramics class, there is the understanding of the inner workings of a ceramics studio. Megargle says that this year there is more of en emphasis on aiding instead of working on her sculptures. Megargle’s work with ceramics this year is based in nature and floral patterns.
“I wanted to develop my wheel-throwing, but with a new twist,” Megargle said. “I cut and altered bowls and vases to make flowers and other organic designs first semester. Second semester I made hollow body parts and am going to put dirt in them to grow flowers. It’s like incorporating nature into humans.”
In her AP Studio Art class, too, Megargle adds themes of nature. Her concentration is “uprooted”, about her experiences and reactions to having to adapt after being uprooted. In this, Jaffari says, there is a lot more figurative work. This semester she is trying to bring a bit more abstractness to her pottery.
“I want to transcend the boundary between my art and nature by making body part shaped planters which I will fill with dirt and then grow stuff in them,” Megargle said.
Jaffari believes Megargle has grown by being able to experiment with different elements of pottery, such as glazing and finishing. Senior Ben Levine thinks her upcoming work will be comparable to the figuativeness of traditional 2D work.
“[It’s] a curious experiment within the symbolic realities of form,” Levine said.
Pottery and art isn’t something that Megargle found in high school, however. She grew up in an artistic household with her mother as an artist.She notes that the differences between 2D and 3D work, such as angles from which to view ceramics, are difficult at times, but still retains a positive attitude.
“The difficult part is trying to get the picture in your head on paper,” Megargle said. “Nothing ever comes out exactly as you planed, but that’s also the fun part.”
