Rorschach 2.0

For the past week, OS32 has been working closely with Visiting Artist Leslie Shows.What started as a free for all with what seems like an endless supply of ink has now morphed into a real consideration of composition, texture, context, tone and value. Students are editing and altering their work into new compositions that have texture and negative/positive space at the forefront. With such limited materials, their creativity and problem solving are on full display: it really seems as if everyone has adopted a radically different approach. Here are some studio snapshots for you to see the whole experiment and variety of splatters, blots, puddles, lines, washes all coming together in different ways.

di Rosa Ramblings

Friday marked OS32's first fieldtrip, which we spent at The di Rosa in Napa.  Students had the unique opportunity to see a private collection of gargantuan proportions and varied styles. Not only does the di Rosa maintain a historic farmhouse and warehouse gallery overflowing with paintings, sculptures and installations, there is also an expansive (think: "acres") sculpture meadow, as well as a separate gallery currently showcasing work from a new artist residency partnership with Stags' Leap Winery.  

To the left is a shot of Richard T. Walker's show, the fallibility of intent in the Gatehouse Gallery. Walker is the first artist in residence through Stags' Leap Winery and his mesmerizing show was an aural and visual journey through the deep connections and transcendent awe one may feel in a sublime natural setting. Perfect companion to the students' reading and investigation of "Walden"!

Below are some shots of us touring the residence and interacting with pieces by Gordon Huether, David Ireland, and Mildred Howard. 

photos by: Pattiann Koury and Megan Broughton

Check our Instagram for more di Rosa pics. 

***special Instannouncement***

The Oxbow School is on Instagram! 

  --  follow @theoxbowschool --

for snapshots of daily life, works in progress, fieldtrip pics, #tbt and #fbf

This is a great way to visit campus, if only on your phonescreens.

http://instagram.com/theoxbowschool/

photos provided by current students, faculty, and staff. 

Administered by Residential Life Advisor Megan Broughton 

Co-Curriculars Showcase

Twice a week, Oxbowhemians cycle through faculty guided co-curriculars such as hiking, running, walking, biking, and "Surf n Turf" (a gardening/kayaking supercombo). The hikers and walkers go on adventures all over the Napa Valley, the runners enjoy the local riverside trails, bikers scale the surrounding mountains, and the gardeners harvest fruits and vegetables planted from previous semesters and propagate for the future ones. This week's blogging team (Zoë and Wheeler) gathered snapshots from each and quotes from participants so you can hear about it all firsthand.

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"Hiking reconnected me to a natural state of mind. I walked through the redwoods and thought about how old they must be. It was beautiful and relieving to get away from the town. The ambience changed from cars to birds." Stefan

 Skyline Park. photos: Wheeler. 

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"I love the running program here because it's a really good way to exercise with friends. I really like the river trail." Izzy L

pre-run smiles. selfie by: Tati

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"It's a hard work out. We go all through Napa - on the outskirts of the town and in the hills. We biked twenty miles last time. We biked up into this winery and it was very beautiful. It's a group thing I would say. I would say that it has made us all closer." Will

photo: Dirk

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"Gardening is beautiful and makes me feel connected to the earth. My favorite thing to do is plant lettuce." Bonnie

"I didn't expect to enjoy gardening nearly as much as I do. It's interesting because everyone does something different every time. We weed, plant seeds, and create new, more fertile dirt for the ground. Getting your hands dirty is oddly relaxing and meditative. I'm really glad I decided to join." Zoë 

A rock, paper, scissors tournament determines the gardeners and the kayakers, and some small spoils from clearing out the garden beds. photos: Megan Broughton

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members of Walkabout crossing a local river. photo: Pattiann Khoury