Connie Zhou ’12 can hardly even recall when she first began creating art.
“When I could pick up a crayon, I was drawing,” she said.
Zhou described her first drawing as a depiction of her parents, which consisted of a scribble and some lines.
Since then, she’s come a long way.
Zhou’s art has been featured consistently in art shows, according to her art teacher at Staples, Camille Eskell. Zhou has also won awards for her work, including the Silver Key award for drawing in the nationwide Scholastic Art Competition.
Eskell, who personally bestowed upon Zhou the Staples art department’s Excellence in Art Award, praised her effort in the subject.
“I thought she’d focus on her skills in science and math, and not be in the art department very often. Thank God, I was wrong,” Eskell said.
As a freshman, Zhou took Intro to Drawing. As a sophomore, she took Advanced Drawing, and for the past two years she has taken Honors Studio Art.
In addition to the help she has received at Staples, Zhou has reached out to the community outside of school to improve her art and grow as an artist.
From eighth grade until senior year, Zhou has been enrolled in Roe Halper’s after -school program for “artistically gifted” high school age students.
“She gives me advice and inspiration,” Zhou said.
Halper is a local artist who practices a wide range of techniques with a wide variety of materials, many of which Zhou has tried in an attempt to branch out from realistic pencil drawings. Zhou creates works using ink, paint, oil pastels, and sculptures.
“She has explored different media and techniques, from realistic to abstract,” Halper said. “She has the ability to do it all.”
In particular, Halper mentioned a recent project of Zhou’s, which she described as an attempt on Zhou’s part to “express herself in creative abstract expression,” a first for any student of hers.
The piece was inspired by the work of Joan Mitchell, a second-generation abstract expressionist. It was created on four five-foot high panels that Zhou’s father fastened together for her to paint, and detached once she was done, so that the finished product would be displayed as four separate pieces of a whole painting.
Halper considers Zhou to be one of the top individuals she has taught throughout her 33 years of running the art program.
“She is extremely creative and has immense talent,” Halper said. “She also has the ability to concentrate. It’s an amazing combination; she is wonderfully gifted.”
Despite the broad range of styles Zhou has explored, Eskell thinks that tremendous detail can be found in all of Zhou’s works.
“The level of meticulous detail she is able to achieve would definitely be her hallmark,” Eskell said.
Though it is difficult for her to pick a favorite style of art amongst the many she experiments with, Zhou takes particular enjoyment in portraying people.
“You can really capture personality,” Zhou said. “Your art touches people more than an object or landscape would, because of the human connection.”
While Zhou is looking to pursue a career in business, she will continue exploring art and expressing herself artistically. She plans to become involved in art clubs at Harvard University, where she will enroll this September. She also thinks she will be able to incorporate her artistic abilities into certain areas of business, like marketing.
“She will always return to it and use it in some way,” Halper said. “My father used to say ‘if you are born with a talent, you have to use it.’ Connie has. She is truly a marvel.”
