Art is one of the best ways for students, faculty, and anyone looking for an artistic outlet to express themselves through different media and styles. For junior Arthur Tittmann, his love for art has been present ever since he was a little kid, and it has only grown over the years. “I’ve been making art for as long as I can remember,” Arthur reflected. “Sometimes I’ll find old sketch books from elementary school. They mostly have portraits because that has always been my favorite thing to draw, but seeing old art makes me realize how much I’ve developed as an artist.”
Most of his artistic career has consisted of making graphite and portrait drawings. Arthur has primarily focused on black and white graphite drawings, but over this past year expanded his taste and started making some pieces with colored pencils. “In the last year or so, I have branched out much more and have done a few colored pencil drawings as well as worked with charcoal and acrylic paint,” Arthur shared.
The arts courses and focus at KO has been a huge highlight for Arthur as the program has helped him develop new interests in terms of art styles. Some faculty who have helped to shape Arthur’s artistic experience at KO are Visual Arts Department Chair Katie Burnett and visual arts teacher Scott McDonald. “I am in the full year portfolio prep class, which means I have gotten to be taught by Mr. McDonald and Ms. Burnett in one class,” Arthur said. “They have both taught me so much, both in technique and ability, to tap into artistic impulses and to find art all around you.” Through both this class and his incredible teachers, Arthur has found himself exploring and enjoying new forms of art.
Some main artistic interests of Arthur’s would be museums. “I love art museums and I try to get a print every time I go to a museum, and I put those prints on my wall,” Arthur shared.
For Arthur, there are two main inspirations when it comes to his art, the first being portrait painter John Singer Sargent. “I especially love his ability to capture emotion and attitude in the most subtle facial expressions as well as his mastery of light and shadow,” he explained. The second inspiration for Arthur would have to be Norman Rockwell and his great strength in terms of subject matter. “His ability to capture both monumental moments and mundane American scenes while provoking thought and emotion in both shows his understanding of what warrants a reaction and what causes emotion,” he elaborated.
Arthur has portraits created by each of these artists hanging in his room because of their beauty and inspiration.
Aside from his passion for art, you may also find Arthur running laps on the track or leading races in cross country. Even when not in season, Arthur finds himself running for leisure.
In terms of pursuing art in the future, his main goal is to never stop. “I don’t really have any big ambitions with art except that I don’t want to reach old age and realize that I had neglected to continue this wonderful passion,” he expressed.
One piece of advice that Arthur has for aspiring artists, along with his younger self, would be to remember that there are always people supporting you and helping to guide you along your journey.
We wish Arthur the best of luck as he continues on with his artistic pursuits!
