Pearl Tong 
By Grace Yao
​Pearl Tong is a lifer at Collingwood School and is now in Grade 11. Although her parents are originally from China, they immigrated to Canada with her brother and she was born in Vancouver.

Outside of school, one of Pearl’s hobbies is art, particularly drawing, which is why she spends so much time on it! Some of her other hobbies are crocheting, needle felting, playing the piano, playing video games, and skiing and snowshoeing in the winter. At school, Pearl’s favourite subject is evidently art. She says, “This isn't just because I love doing art but I find it to be a very effective brain break from my more academic courses; it's relaxing.” Pearl takes pleasure in creating visual art using all types of mediums, but she enjoys creating digital art the most. 

Pearl’s favourite art course that she’s taken is Art 10. Although she took this course during H block, she experienced some of her most enriching moments, including “getting to visit a temporary exhibit of works by Shary Boyle at the Vancouver Art Gallery and getting the chance to do a figure drawing workshop with an actual model. I also worked on one of the art pieces that I've had the most fun with during this class. It was a collaborative piece with one of my classmates [Jungyoon Park].” In art, Pearl feels the most fulfilled when she is able to materializes her thoughts onto the blank canvas. She prefers to make digital art, which is why, four years ago, she started working with Clip Studio Paint on her drawing tablet.

Pearl believes that art is an expression of the artists feelings and personality, as her life experiences shine through in the style and colour of her artwork, whether she makes a conscious effort to or not. She cannot fathom how her life would be without art, as she finds stability with the ability to create art and constantly improve, and she believes that the most important about art is to embrace authenticity and not hold back in expressing yourself. For any aspiring artists out there, Pearl has some advice to offer. She believes that the most important quality in artists is persistence, as “Improvement doesn't happen overnight and that aspect of art can be pretty discouraging for a lot of people, but just know to trust the process and continue practicing and eventually you'll begin to see improvement.” She also advises for artists to look back at past artwork and reflect on their growth.

​Although Pearl doesn’t plan on attending an art school for university, she would love to take graphic design. After university, Pearl plans to pursue a job in computer science, particularly game design, where she would be able to put her art skills and designs to good use. Even if her hopes for incorporating art into her future don’t work out, Pearl knows that art will be a treasured hobby and passion alongside her other activities!