In the weeks before Homecoming, Westview’s most experienced artists, all specializing in different artistic techniques, gathered to prepare for the annual Homecoming speed paintings. Though the tradition was started over ten years ago by art teacher Mr. Opstad, this year’s early Homecoming date put the artists on a tight timetable to prepare for the event.

During the 45-minute Homecoming rally, select students who have taken Studio Art 1-2, Studio Art 3-4, or AP Studio Art transform sketches into full-color replicas of reference photos.

“It started off [as] a cool way of showcasing some of the things other than athletics, choir, band, whatever it happens to be, and really focusing on other elements of the campus, [and it’s become] a really important part of Westview’s tradition,” Mr. Opstad said. “It’s a really cool way of celebrating something that the kids have worked, really, really hard for, and I think they should get just as much recognition as if they were to throw the final touchdown. Some students’ friends didn’t realize how good they were at art, and they didn’t even know that they were shining in that environment.”

The process begins with four teams’ search for reference images that portray the Homecoming theme. They compile and edit the images, overlaying them, altering their saturation, and making them unique. According to AP Studio Art student Milly Christopher (12), since this year’s theme, Rio, has only two movies, the teams were forced to think outside the box.

“I think what’s a little bit difficult about this year compared to the other years is that in the four years I’ve been here, we had [themes] that had four different movies,” she said. “[For] Rio, we were trying to figure out how we can do [paintings] not just about the movie but also about the culture [of Rio].”

To account for this, some of this year’s reference photos highlighted characters from the movies, similar to prior years, while others focused on the landscapes of Brazil. Mandy Greer (12), who returned to speed painting after completing AP Studio Art last year, said that the search for images, conducted just a week before the rally, was extensive.

“Once the Homecoming theme was revealed, Mr. Opstad asked a couple people [to] go find a bunch of images all about this one topic,” Greer said. “For Rio, I made a board on Pinterest, and then I saved anything I could find. Since [Homecoming] is earlier than normal this year, we were still making those references [the week of the rally]. We obviously looked at the movie, and then we also looked at the city because there [are] so many pretty sights in Rio.”

According to AP Studio Art student Hafsah Tahir (12), the key to a good reference is visually interesting elements.

“I would say [the references should have] really fun colors, something that catches your eye,” Tahir said. “A lot of them have bright colors [and] the vibe of Rio [because] it gives the hype for Homecoming and the theme. Two of the images are going to be in the movie, and then two of them are something else, but they’re all very bright, pop-out colors.”

After finding their reference images, the teams began to sketch on 48-by-48-inch canvases. Teacher assistant Nora Hamid (12) said that the process of sketching differs from image to image.

“We use a projector to project the reference onto the canvas in the dark so we can sketch it,” she said. “It’s usually a one-person job, [and] how long it takes to sketch it depends on how detailed the reference is.”

Then, in order to prepare the palettes before the rally, they analyze the composition of their references and mix all the needed colors. Christopher said that this makes the painting process more structured than that of a regular project.

“[For] a regular painting, you usually find your reference, you start sketching it, and you just go for it from there,” Christopher said. “What I notice when I’m painting is I won’t have all my colors mixed out, and I’ll need to find and make [them as I go], whereas with speed painting, a lot of it is prepared beforehand. We have to draw out the sketch first, then we have to look at the photo and find each individual color that will be used during it. We have to mix up all of those colors and make an abundance of them so we don’t run out.”

Additionally, speed painting differs from individual projects due to the close collaboration it demands.

“You’re in a team, and I think that that’s a whole different experience than just painting it yourself, because you have your full creative vision [for personal projects], while [for] speed painting everyone has the same goal, but they might have different ways of doing it,” Greer said.

To paint most efficiently, each person works on one portion of the canvas, as assigned by the “captains” of each team, but Tahir said things don’t always go according to plan.

“We’ve all got our own little section,” Tahir said. “Sometimes, it’s a little chaotic when we have more people in one group, but I feel like that’s part of the fun of it, trying to get around each other and paint.”

Greer said that this collaboration allows her to see how her peers work, which she said helps her build on her own skills.

“You learn what you can do better,” Greer said. “You can see what [other artists] do and you can kind of mimic it so that it helps you grow, just like you can also share your own [methods] with other people.”

Christopher said that speed painting also helps artists improve by helping them break out of habits of perfectionism.

“Most of what you’re trying to do is put down color,” Christopher said. “You don’t want a blank canvas [and you want to] get rid of all of the white, because it doesn’t have to be perfect, but you want it to be covered. It’s better that there’s something on the page and it’s recognizable. So I definitely think that helps with people’s confidence in what they’re doing, just putting something out there instead of focusing on the little details.”

Greer said that, in addition to bringing a new perspective to art, speed painting is a way to display the art department’s hard work.

“I feel like it’s one of the most unique things about [Homecoming] rallies,” Greer said. “There’s nothing really like speed painting. It brings the arts to everybody in a way that they don’t usually see. I don’t know how many people usually go to the art room if they’re not in art class, so it definitely brings to light what we’re actually doing and how cool it is.”