By Sian Shin
The Visual Arts Department plays a vital role within the Collingwood community by providing budding visual artists with an abundance of opportunities to grow and explore their artistic creativity. This department is run by a group of inspiring and talented individuals, and Ms. Underwood is one of such.
After graduating from Western University with a Bachelor of Fine Arts with Honors, where she focused on 2D art, and after later attaining her education degree at UBC, Ms. Underwood became a part of the Collingwood family in 2002. Right off the bat, she made a revolutionary contribution by creating Collingwood’s first animation course, which she plans on rebooting soon.
Ms. Underwood has displayed her artwork in various shows at Western University as well as other art shows in London, Ontario. She has also created numerous portraits and murals, including a mural that is now exhibited in a wine cellar. Concerning what art means to her, Ms. Underwood explains, “For me, it’s an escape. It’s always a calming experience. I feel that when I’m creating art, I go into a zone where I relax. It doesn’t matter what I’m drawing or painting, it’s the process that makes me feel amazing. And when I’m done, I just feel so energized and rejuvenated.”
Ms. Underwood has been inspired by a variety of different figures, one of them being Nelson Mandela. Having grown up in South Africa but never having had the chance to delve into the issue of the apartheid, she now wants a chance to explore more about this part of her identity on a more political aspect. Other artists who have influenced Ms. Underwood include Monet and Kandinsky.
The Visual Arts Department plays a vital role within the Collingwood community by providing budding visual artists with an abundance of opportunities to grow and explore their artistic creativity. This department is run by a group of inspiring and talented individuals, and Ms. Underwood is one of such.
After graduating from Western University with a Bachelor of Fine Arts with Honors, where she focused on 2D art, and after later attaining her education degree at UBC, Ms. Underwood became a part of the Collingwood family in 2002. Right off the bat, she made a revolutionary contribution by creating Collingwood’s first animation course, which she plans on rebooting soon.
Ms. Underwood has displayed her artwork in various shows at Western University as well as other art shows in London, Ontario. She has also created numerous portraits and murals, including a mural that is now exhibited in a wine cellar. Concerning what art means to her, Ms. Underwood explains, “For me, it’s an escape. It’s always a calming experience. I feel that when I’m creating art, I go into a zone where I relax. It doesn’t matter what I’m drawing or painting, it’s the process that makes me feel amazing. And when I’m done, I just feel so energized and rejuvenated.”
Ms. Underwood has been inspired by a variety of different figures, one of them being Nelson Mandela. Having grown up in South Africa but never having had the chance to delve into the issue of the apartheid, she now wants a chance to explore more about this part of her identity on a more political aspect. Other artists who have influenced Ms. Underwood include Monet and Kandinsky.
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Her artistic preferences, in terms of color, are either just black and white or complete color. She explains, “I love color because of how I feel when I look at it. And I love that expression is quite different when different colors are used for the same pieces.” She loves to explore her love for color by using pastel and conté in her drawings and watercolor in her paintings. Recently, she has also been experimenting with a palette knife, for she is fascinated by its power to give texture to art pieces. With these materials, she enjoys crafting large statement pieces; as she expressed, “I like to just work into them and make it a process of being involved in the piece.”
Ms. Underwood admits that although she may not have time to create her own artwork as much as she would like, her role as an art teacher still allows her to work with her passion: “Some days, I don’t get to go home and do art. But when I’m teaching, I’m all around art. That’s why teaching art has been so great – because I can be surrounded by art everyday.”
On top of her artistic reality, Ms. Underwood is also passionate about field hockey, having played the sport for all her life. After playing for Western University and playing premier league, she is coaches the Collingwood field hockey team as well as the spring league team. Recently, she has gotten into trail running, which she deems as another source of escape.
In the future, Ms. Underwood expresses that she wants to just get back into making art as much as she desires. She is excited to have a chance to take the numerous pieces in her sketchbook and further make them into art. One of her other goals is to explore publicizing her art through various online avenues such as Fresh Paint Magazine and Juxtapose Magazine.
When asked to give her best advice for her students, she smiled as she said, “For students who are pursuing art after high school, always remember to enjoy the process. The hard part is that you can get so caught up that it may feel like work, so always remember why you started making art. And for students who aren’t going off to art school, just always surround yourself with art. Don’t let go of it if you love it. Keep art as a part of your life in at least some way.”
Ms. Underwood admits that although she may not have time to create her own artwork as much as she would like, her role as an art teacher still allows her to work with her passion: “Some days, I don’t get to go home and do art. But when I’m teaching, I’m all around art. That’s why teaching art has been so great – because I can be surrounded by art everyday.”
On top of her artistic reality, Ms. Underwood is also passionate about field hockey, having played the sport for all her life. After playing for Western University and playing premier league, she is coaches the Collingwood field hockey team as well as the spring league team. Recently, she has gotten into trail running, which she deems as another source of escape.
In the future, Ms. Underwood expresses that she wants to just get back into making art as much as she desires. She is excited to have a chance to take the numerous pieces in her sketchbook and further make them into art. One of her other goals is to explore publicizing her art through various online avenues such as Fresh Paint Magazine and Juxtapose Magazine.
When asked to give her best advice for her students, she smiled as she said, “For students who are pursuing art after high school, always remember to enjoy the process. The hard part is that you can get so caught up that it may feel like work, so always remember why you started making art. And for students who aren’t going off to art school, just always surround yourself with art. Don’t let go of it if you love it. Keep art as a part of your life in at least some way.”
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