Texan Mosaic

Story by Isabela Salas/COMM 2311
Photos by students in MCOM 1316

Yin and yang foxes, glazed fish, and reflective sculptures are some ways art students at South Plains College are given an opportunity to shape their own world.

Photo by Anna Gonzales

SPC students in professor Donatelli’s Design II art class are studying texture and structure. She says, “their whole goal is to create at least two pieces that look like they go together but they’re separate.”

Clay work is one way students can develop their texture skills when working in 3D.

One student, Celyce Martinez, says she chose to sculpt a fox with a pokey and sharp texture to represent the negatives in the world, as well as a smooth one to represent the positives.

The world of 3D design gives insight to the importance of how forms work so that the structure will not fall apart says student, Adrian Valadez, who created a fish sculpture that will have a mixed glaze finish.

Scale is also a factor in 3D. Donatelli says students took an object and had to blow it up at least four times its size. One student chose a Rubik’s cube and another chose a fortune cookie.

Clay isn’t the only artistic opportunity in this class. This semester students were given a temporary art assignment in which students were encouraged to draw attention to something.

Using a mirror and sculpting skills, Isabel Luna decided to create her temporary art in the girl’s bathroom. “I just wanted to encourage people to look at themselves in the mirror and also look at art,” she says.

“You don’t have to be an art major to take design,” Donatelli says. “This class gives students a chance to relax from other study courses.”