By Elizabeth Seward

Take a glimpse into Upper School art teacher Pam Sutherland’s D period Painting I class, where the students are working on their fourth project—telling a story through objects alone.

During block D, with the morning light peering in through the floor-to-ceiling windows of the H2L2 studio, Painting I students are engrossed in their latest project: capturing an emotion, story, or self-portrait through objects on a canvas of their choice. This project requires them to tie meaning to their artwork, pushing them to experiment with materials, colors, and techniques.

Pam Sutherland, the D period Painting I teacher, in the studio.

Sutherland, who leads this section of the class, explained the open-ended nature of the assignment.

“For this one, I don’t tell them how to paint it. It doesn’t have to be realistic if they don’t want it to be,” she says. “I tend to believe art is more meaningful if it means something. This is their fourth project, so they’ve worked their way up.”

Each student took to the project differently, showcasing any emotion they chose through their own interpretations. Claire Lareau (‘25) chose to represent “defeat,” and her canvas speaks volumes, with an hourglass that’s run out of sand, a fallen chess piece, and wilting flowers. “I used a lot of gray to try to get the emotion through,” Lareau shared. “The composition and the color choice help to signify the feeling of loss and defeat.”

For Maytal Zasler (‘25), the concept of “anticipation” unfolds in a still life of perfumes, lipstick, blush, and matches, outlined against vibrant pink and purple. “The matches are waiting to be lit,” she explained, adding that her items “are all objects that are about to be used by the viewer,” capturing the tense feeling before something begins.

Artists at work on their fourth painting project.

Aiming to convey “perspective,” Ashley Grace Johnstone (‘26) created an up-close view of her glasses. She selected a larger canvas to highlight the delicate details and positioned her glasses against a soft blue and brown background. This composition, she hopes, will encourage viewers to think about the way they view the world.

Jillian Fratkin (‘27), meanwhile, revealed a striking story of “hatred and resentment” through a blue equestrian ribbon against a purple background. Her painting features a first-place ribbon torn by scissors on one side and stitched on the other. The piece captures a complex emotional narrative about frustration and bitterness.

Sarah O’Leary, the new Upper School art teacher, instructs the other section of Painting I. She highlighted how this assignment is all about growth and discovery: “In this project, they have the most freedom of choice: what size to work on, what material to work on. They choose what emotions they want to be present.” Having joined Collegiate this year, O’Leary collaborates closely with Sutherland. “We’re collaborating the whole semester. We go back and forth a lot,” she explained. She loves teaching introductory classes, because the students are “a lot more open to trying new things, and you see a lot more growth.”

As the students near the end of this project, their canvases transform into intimate windows into their inner worlds, each one layered with thought, feeling, and personal storytelling. In Sutherland’s words, “Art is more significant if it means something,” and these Painting I artists are truly making their mark.

All photos by Elizabeth Seward.