On Wednesday, April 15, students crowded the lower staircase of the library as they admired Stella McGuinness’s (‘26) senior art exhibition. Starting at the middle of the staircase are pencil drawings of hands in various positions. On the table at the bottom of the staircase is an upright guitar and a resin hand. The themes of music and hands are embodied in Stella’s work. Stella said, “I ended up really liking [the reception ] because I got to show my work to people, and everyone was super nice.” 

“I’ve kind of always just been doodling and drawing in my free time,” Stella explained. Stella began creating art as a hobby. “I think it’s just a fun thing to draw,” Stella added, “It helps me relax.

Unlike some seniors, Stella only took art in her freshman and junior years. She signed up for a senior exhibition in the spring of last year. “At first, I was worried I wouldn’t have time, especially in the middle of all this stress for college. But, it was just a fun thing to do, to prepare for an art exhibition,” she explained. Many of the features in her exhibition were drawn this year.“It’s kind of a way to decompress after a day for me,” she added.

When Stella took Studio Art with Art Teacher and Chair of Visual Arts, Ms. Elizabeth Wepsic, in her freshman year, she gained exposure to different media, such as charcoal and black-and-white. She also learned advanced techniques to draw more complex subjects. Stella’s exhibition features multiple drawings of hands. “’I’ve kind of been drawing hands since freshman year, and I don’t really know what started it,” she explained, “I just felt like it’s kinda complicated to draw usually, so I tried it.

Ms. Wepsic, who taught Stella for two years, said that in addition to drawing, Stella is “very talented with music and writing lyrics.” In the summer before Junior year, Stella attended a music program in Nashville where she blossomed her passion for songwriting. “That’s when my music interest progressed into composing my own stuff and writing lyrics.” Since then, she has tried to incorporate her musical interests into her art. 

Stella shared her exhibition with fellow artist Surina Verma (‘26). She explained that it was because both of their portfolios were brief.  “I liked sharing it with another person, because it took pressure off of me,” Stella shared. She said it was very nice how people reacted to her artwork, even though she was nervous at first. 

Members of the community also appreciated their art. “A girl even came up to me and said, ‘I love the drawings that you did of hands.’” Stella shared, “That was validating for me.” Zhizhen Chen (‘29), who attended the exhibition, said, “There are so many people here who are all talking about art and just appreciating the art made by the students.” James Lila (‘28), another attendee, said, “Her mixture of drawing and music inspires me to be more daring with my own art.”

As a graduating senior, Stella hopes to carry her art with her to college. “I definitely want to try to take some art classes in college. I hope I take a class so I can continue to make use of the opportunities that’ll be there. And I definitely want to get better at drawing people,” she shared. In the end, she reflected, “I never really thought I’d be doing art as much as I do.”