Grace Qi ’24 is a four-year Senior from Wuhan, China. Qi has participated in the school’s Studio Art Program for three years and is currently enrolled in Honors Advanced Studio Art Portfolio. She is co-head of the German Club and is currently creating a project with Archives celebrating 50 years of coeducation. Qi hopes to pursue art at Johns Hopkins University.
How did you discover your passion for art?
I got into painting in seventh grade, starting with acrylics. I was drawn to the process of layering and transforming a blank canvas into a cute, little piece I could hang on my bedroom wall.
After I came to Hotchkiss, the curriculum made it feel natural for me to continue painting and challenging myself with each new project. There’s something about creating by hand and expressing emotions visually that really clicks with me. I think painting is a therapeutic activity for me.
Can you describe your artistic process?
I like to research artists with relevant styles and explore how they create art. I try to find some specific objects or landscapes or people that I want to paint, and then I do studies on them. I like to do studies in my sketchbook with a pencil after I take reference photos with my phone.
After that, I do construction with pencil and color studies on bigger pieces of paper to figure out the right perspective and to get the details correct. At last, I transfer it to a canvas with a pencil and then I just start to paint, layer by layer.
Do you have preferred mediums in which you like to work?
I work a lot in oil and acrylic. I am more familiar with still life painting and landscapes as compared to portraits. Generally speaking, my art has purple or blue tonality.
I definitely want to challenge myself to try new media in the future. I love Impressionist art and Renaissance art in particular. Impressionist art speaks to me because it emphasizes light and color, and I love Renaissance art simply because of its beauty and complexity.
What advice do you have for aspiring artists?
Master your techniques and develop a strong concept. Mastering the technical aspects of your art form provides you with the freedom to fully express your creative vision without being limited because “you can’t paint or draw it.” This will also allow you to truly innovate in your medium.
Equally important is the development of a cohesive thesis for your art. This is what brings your artwork depth and transforms it from a visual pleasure into something audiences can resonate with.
