Members of the Ridgewood High School Art Club chapter of the Rembrandt Society, along with their sponsor, Mrs. Machaj, joined other Illinois art clubs at the I Hotel in Champaign, Illinois for the Rembrandt Society State Art Convention on March 9, 2018. Students were welcomed by the state officers: President Jordin Crimmins, Vice-President Marissa Valadez, Secretary Amarallis Martinez, and Public Relations Armina Husic, all from Ridgewood High School.
The theme for the convention, “Animation Nation”, was followed in the decorations, costumes, art workshops and activities. The convention opened with the introduction of chapters, mixer games, club photos, the creation of artist cards, and the setting up of artwork for judging. In keeping with the theme of animation, members created Flip Books for the Special Project.
Mr. Philo Barnhart and Mr. Charles Moisant served as the guest speakers this year. Mr. Barnhart is a professional film animator who has worn a number of hats in the film industry including key character design and assistant animation positions with Disney. Some of his work can be seen in films like The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, The Black Cauldron, and The Secret of Nimh. He is also known for his work on Super Friends, Star Trek the Motion picture, The Smurfs, Jem and the Holograms, Space Ace, Dragons Lair, The 13 Ghosts of Scooby Doo, and much more! Mr. Barnhart is currently working with Charles Moisant at Silver Phoenix Entertainment.
Charles Moisant is a comic book artist, writer, and the creative director of Silver Phoenix Entertainment. Mr. Moisant has been publishing comic books since 1991 and is best known for his Roller Derby Drama, which is loosely based on the Chicago Outfit Roller Derby Team. Mr. Moisant can usually be found on his roller skates at Silver Phoenix Entertainment promoting some of the newer titles such as 'Whispers from The Void' where all monsters are reflections of the Seven Deadly Sins. Charles Moisant’s latest title is the ‘History of Police in America™’. He plans to give one million copies away for free! Check out www.silverphoenix.net for more about Philo Barnhart and Charles Moisant!
After lunch, students participated in two hands-on workshops. The first workshop was presented by Mr. Barnhart and Mr. Moisant. Mr. Barnhart taught animation drawing techniques and led a step-by-step workshop on drawing Disney characters.
The second workshop was presented by Ms. Lori Fuller, a landscape artist who loves to travel. Nature is her inspiration! Ms. Fuller says that when she travels, she often uses a pocket size journal to capture a composition in nature or mimic the colors and textures she observes along a hike. Once she returns, Ms. Fuller applies what she observed along her journey and uses it to refine her landscape drawings in her studio. Ms. Fuller’s colored pencil artwork is currently on display at Presby Hall in Champaign and was recently featured in the Daily Illini. Ms. Fuller demonstrated color pencil techniques and then assisted the students with their own landscape drawings. The students learned a lot and had a great time!
During the convention, students entered artwork for Regional judging in the Rembrandt Art Competition. The following Ridgewood High School students placed in Regional competition.
- Jordin Crimmins - 2 first places
- Marissa Valadez - a first place and 2 third places
- Aalia Galati - a first place
- Erin Hill - a first place and a third place
- Armina Husic - a second place and 2 third places
- Audrey Majer - 2 second places and a third place
- Amarallis Martinez - 3 first places
- Faith Masheimer - a first place and 2 third places
- Jazmine Moore - a third place
- Caleigh Czarnecki - 2 second places and a third place
- Marybeth Quintana - a second place and a third place
- Isabel LaRose - 2 third places
The Ridgewood Art Club had four students place in state judging. Jordin Crimmins earned a third place in state for B/W Drawing and a third place in state for Sculpture. Faith Masheimer earned a second place in state for Photography. Amarallis Martinez earned a first place and third place in state for Graphic Design.
Aalia Galati won the Best of Crafts category in state for her “Hedgehog” sculpture made from ceramics and organic objects!
After dinner, an induction ceremony was held for the new Rembrandt Society officers. Three Ridgewood students will serve on the 2019 state board. The new officers are President Amarallis Martinez, Vice-President Armina Husic, and Secretary Erin Hill. The new officers will help plan and run the convention next year!
The rest of the evening was devoted to making new acquaintances and dancing the night away. The whole day was a wonderful opportunity for Ridgewood students to interact with art students from all over Illinois, have their artwork critiqued and to learn new art techniques. Ridgewood’s Art Club students are already looking forward to next year’s convention! For more information about the Rembrandt Society, contact Sarah Machaj at smachaj@ridgenet.org.