Art Student Bailee Hill Shares Her Experience As an Instructors Assistant at Summer Snow
During the spring of 2024, I had the unique opportunity to attend Summer Snow as an instructors’ assistant. Summer Snow is a two week artist workshop directed by the Visual Arts of Snow College (located in Ephraim, Utah). Assistant positions are highly competitive and come with a scholarship that covers the entire cost of the course and housing– making it possible for me to learn from visiting artists and be a part of the behind-the-scenes work.
The artist I was assigned to assist is a professional portraiture/figure artist from New York City named Savannah Tate Cuff. Throughout my artistic education I have focused on drawing and painting with an emphasis on the human figure, and the two weeks spent with Savannah proved to be a catalyst in my abilities. She covered the basics of facial anatomy, the foundation of line work to shading and accurate skin tone color mixing. Everything that I learned from her has helped me produce stronger work, but where I saw the biggest improvement was in my accuracy of capturing correct form. My portraits no longer looked like a distant cousin of the model; they began to capture an accurate likeness.
The class sessions with Savannah lasted from nine to five each day. In most studio classes, students meet twice a week for three hours. This schedule, on top of balancing other classwork and part time jobs, makes it difficult to notice personal improvement, but with two full-time weeks learning from an experienced artist I was able to see more growth and receive more feedback in a shorter span of time. I was also able to spend more time with the live model, which gave me the unique opportunity to practice drawing and oil painting portraits from many different angles. Because of Savannah’s skills and the resources I was provided, I am a stronger creator and more dedicated student.
After the class sessions I was able to spend a significant amount of time with Savannah, and I utilized this time to ask her about her education and freelance business. She was able to give me insights and advice I would not be able to receive in the classroom, and she was the driving force in me adding a business minor to my studies at Brigham Young University. She said this decision would put me farther ahead than other graduates because one of the hardest parts of making a living as a studio artist is managing the sales and representation of your own work.
This insight about business was an answer to a question I had been wrestling with for many months. I am passionate about creating and communicating through visual art but as a student who has yet to embrace the lifestyle of a full time artist, I often worry about the unclear path that lays before me after graduation. I spent many nights on my knees, in the scriptures and in general conference talks searching for some sort of insight that could help me feel more certain about the future I have chosen. I am now enrolled in business classes, and I am beginning to understand the ways that I can use art and business to make a positive and sustainable impact and income. This assistantship was, without a doubt, an inspired learning experience.
Like many of my experiences with receiving inspiration, the answer I have been seeking has come in the form of a sunrise — very gradually. But even without a full view of what the future holds I can testify that the God I believe in is one who speaks today and will speak to me personally when I seek answers. Savannah and I never discussed faith or religion past a simple invitation to church, but her words were inspired and her example and openness has helped increase my faith in my Heavenly Father and reiterated that He listens to me.
