Art in the past, present and future: A sophomore’s passion for drawing extends beyond the now

Variations of blue, periwinkle and white flutter across the screen, as sophomore Colleen Feng adds finishing touches of an anime girl to the final layer of canvas on a digital art program called Sai.

As the time nears midnight, Feng still stares intently at her computer screen through pink amethyst glasses reflecting the blue-tinted screen. She twirls slightly in her brown swivel chair, eyes often wandering to the blank space above the computer.

Her tablet sits a perfect perpendicular to the edge of her desk, not on her lap because there’s radiation. Art books sit to her right, next to a pack of matcha Pocky remains untouched.

In time such as these, Feng sometimes finds herself unintentionally staying up until 2 a.m. finishing one last drawing — time having passed too quickly.

With her natural talent in art and design, the only challenge Feng faces is the environment around her: the tech-centered hub of Silicon Valley. Despite this, Feng believes it offers opportunities as well.

“If I didn’t live here, I might not have access to all the high-tech tablets and programs available, as I do now,” Feng said. “Silicon Valley’s advanced technology has only enhanced my learning in the fine arts.”

Feng first discovered art early on, and still thinks back to the arguments and tears brought by her first day of art class at Little Seed Studio.

Only 4 at the time, Feng was mad at her mom for making her attend this seemingly pointless class. But as the weeks progressed, Feng found herself enjoying art more and more.

Since then, she rarely spends a day without drawing, on average devoting 12 hours per week at her desk focusing on her passion. Feng prefers drawing plain pencil sketches to all other forms of art, but occasionally tries her hand at graphic art.

“I’ve always liked creating things based off of what I see and think,” Feng said. “Drawing an aesthetically appealing image not only expresses what I can’t in words, it just feels right.”

However, charcoal sketching, a particular medium of art, holds a place as dark as its color — or rather lack of color — in Feng’s mind.

“It’s really messy, and always ends up looking really messy,” Feng said. “But you can’t always do everything you like in life, and for me, charcoal is a reminder of that.”

Art is now her longest and strongest passion, and Feng intends to become more competitively involved during the rest of high school.

Even if she doesn’t place first in contests, Feng make the experience well worth the time.

This summer, she and six other girls attended a week-long art camp in Villa Montalvo, sitting by outdoor easels and drawing the area’s surrounding structures. From the rise of the sun to its halfway journey across the sky, the girls painted the canvas with streaks of charcoal, at times accidentally smudging the black powder.

Nevertheless, even after years of doing art, Feng is unsure whether she will major in it in college. If she does, it would likely be in graphic design or animation.

But for now, Feng plans on attending one of the many prestigious art camps on the East Coast next summer.

And while other students her age sometimes drop their involvement in the arts in pursuit of math, science and tech, Feng still remains undeterred to follow her path.

“Art allows me to express creativity and feelings through pictures and visuals rather than using words,” Feng said. “I want others to be inspired and have joy in looking at what I make. It’s a very satisfying feeling when someone is happy looking at what you’ve drawn.”