Some of the following art will advance to OSPI in Olympia, on display at the Superintendent’s High School Art Show.
3 Dimensional Regional Finalists
Isabella Wetzel
Snohomish High School
Grade 12
Teacher: Kate Obukowicz
From the artist:
The concept as to why I choose to make this anatomical heart vase was simply because I wanted to represent what giving your heat to someone. There’s a lot of ways people can show that they love someone but I wanted to capture the also blossoming effect of someone’s love growing with the flowers. During the process of sculpting the heart, I learned how to really envision the end project even when I was a some points in sculpting it that I just wanted to start over. I also learned that sometimes you need to take a different approach when trying new things. At first I tried sculpting it out of 2 pinch pots that were together so that the inside was hollow but I soon realized that by doing this I wouldn’t get the shape nor definition I wanted. Then when that didn’t quite work I decided to sculpt it out of pure clay and then when it was dry enough I would split it in half and hollow out the inside. If I were to do this piece again I would probably add just a little more small details and focus more of the valves coming from the heart instead of directing most of my attention to the actual base of the heart.
Emma Fontenot
$2000 CWU Scholarship Winner
Snohomish High School
Grade 11
Teacher: Kate Obukowicz
From the artist:
This is a ceramic bowl thrown on the wheel with stoneware clay. Before the initial firing I painted a freehand design with underglaze and used the sgraffito technique to scratch away the image.
As an artist I am often inspired by nature. During the covid-19 lockdown when I had virtual school I would be sitting for hours at a desk in a dark room in the early hours of the morning, feeling myself slipping into a slow depression. During the fall of 2020, my grandma gave me my first birdfeeder and I was instantly hooked. Suddenly I was waking up with a new feeling of excitement each day, looking forward to seeing what kind of birds would soon be gracing me with their presence at my window. Soon my whole yard was adorned with birdfeeders, dotted with birds that chittered and chirped their way into my heart. This piece reflects the adoration that I feel towards all sorts of birds, but especially the little ones that made me happy in an unhappy time of my life. Nothing can make you smile like a chickadee.
Larissa Mauldin
$2000 CWU Scholarship Winner
Friday Harbor High School
Grade 12
Teacher: Andrew Anderson
From the artist:
I wanted to create an emotional understanding of what abuse victims have been through. The bird represents fragility and an unsuccessful attempt to fix the damage resulting from abuse. “I strive to create work that provokes thought and emotion in the viewer. My practice is rooted in a deep appreciation for the natural world, and I am constantly inspired by its beauty and complexity. I also like to take inspiration from the people around me and incorporate their ideas and emotions into my work.
One of the most important elements of my work is realism. I’m drawn to realistic forms and colors that convey a sense of life and movement. I believe that color has the power to evoke a wide range of emotions on its own, and mixed with realistic form, I’m able to create pieces that are both visually striking and emotionally resonant.
Ultimately, my goal as an artist is to create work that engages the viewer on multiple levels. I want my pieces to be visually captivating, stimulating, and emotionally evocative. Whether through the use of color, form, or subject matter, I strive to cultivate an emotional understanding of the experiences of others, enabling viewers to see the world through a different perspective.”
Digital Regional Finalist
Hyojeong Jeong
$2,000 CWU Scholarship
Anacortes High School
Grade 11
Teacher: Carl Dellutri
From the artist:
Digital Artwork created in Procreate. The digital painting contains a girl in a forest, facing toward the light.
I wanted the focus of this piece to be the bright light, shining on the girl and the green forest. The girl is a symbol of my journey on grief. As the girl puts behind the darkness and faces the light, she takes a breath. She finally acknowledges and accepts that there is hope in front of her, and all she needs to do is take a few steps toward the light.
I experimented a lot with this piece, especially because I did not have a reference photo; I just let my imagination run. I actively noted my observations that would help me with this painting. I had to change almost everything from the first solid sketch: perspective, values, color, and the focal point. This process taught me a lot about how to plan and make a painting more aesthetically pleasing. It also helped with training my eye to see what colors look good relative to other colors.
If I could do this project again, I would go to a forest and take a solid reference picture, and see where that takes me. It would be interesting to see the difference between the painting with my imagination and the one with a reference photo. It would also help me understand where I went wrong with values and proportions regarding perspective.
Drawing Regional Finalists
Elian Bayas
Friday Harbor High School
Grade 11
Teacher: Andrew Anderson
From the artist:
I experimented a lot with this piece, especially because I did not have a reference photo; I just let my imagination run. I actively noted my observations that would help me with this painting. I had to change almost everything from the first solid sketch: perspective, values, color, and the focal point. This process taught me a lot about how to plan and make a painting more aesthetically pleasing. It also helped with training my eye to see what colors look good relative to other colors.
If I could do this project again, I would go to a forest and take a solid reference picture, and see where that takes me. It would be interesting to see the difference between the painting with my imagination and the one with a reference photo. It would also help me understand where I went wrong with values and proportions regarding perspective.”
My piece focuses on the threat of oil spills in my island home, I used watercolor with the addition of pen to convey textures and space and used shading with ink to create the illusion of depth. Inspired by the vulnerability of my island home, my piece conveys the constant threat of oil spills that could devastate local ecosystems and wildlife throughout the San Juan Islands and the Salish Sea.
Clara Warren
$2,000 CWU Scholarship
Kamiak High School
Grade 11
Teacher: Emily Palmiter
From the artist:
“Love and Loss” is mixed media, combining the use of charcoal and oil pastel atop a brown paper material primed with gesso and later a watered-down paint wash.
“Love and Loss” depicts the embrace of a skeleton and a disembodied formation of marigold petals. While the skeleton is done in black-and-white realism, the florals are expressive and colorful. My piece plays with themes of death and love to portray the everlasting effect love has on humans, even as death may do us part. As someone who has dealt with the loss and death of loved ones in the past years as many have, I find it is the memories and love shared between people that prevail most not only when we lose one another, but when we face the hardships of life; you never truly lose someone if they live in your heart. If I were to do this piece again, I would like to redo the background to better aid my idea, changing the form and motion of the white strokes and yellow paint wash. I would also like to make my flower petals more expressive in their motion and design.
Landyn Diamond
Mount Vernon High School
Grade 11
Teacher: Helene Zawila
From the artist:
I used chalk pastel pencils on 1000 grit sandpaper.
I always loved drawing landscapes and I love my mountains and trees.
Maryjane Brown
$2,000 CWU Scholarship
Mount Vernon High School
Grade 11
Teacher: Helene Zawila
From the artist:
My friends and I decided to have a photo shoot, afterwards, I decided to draw one of the photos we took because I like the competition and wanted to practice foreshortening.
Mixed Media Regional Finalist
Moose Kinsey
Orcas Island High School
Grade 11
Teacher: Corey Wiscomb
From the artist:
This art piece is an ode to the great Jackie Robinson, whose character, both on and off the field, has inspired me in every aspect of my life.
During the process of creating this piece, I learned many new skills through the inclusion of different types of media. One example is the linoleum print 42 which pattern the background, which I had to carve out and print. If I were to do this piece again, I would, rather than using the texture of the material to create color, use the layering to create depth, and thus make a 3-D form of Jackie ” I have grown up on the island with my family on a ranch and have always had an active imagination. I enjoy working in all forms of art from theater to filmmaking to creating original artworks to express ideas. I love working with pen and paper as well as cardboard. In school with my teacher, Corey Wiscomb, I am learning other mediums and am happy to be able to submit my work.
Painting Regional Finalists
Helen Strelow
$2,000 CWU Scholarship
Coupeville High School
Grade 12
Teacher: Bigelow
From the artist:
An 18 inch by 24 inch acrylic painting inspired by traditional still life paintings.
Modern artists are concerned with the rise of AI art making their work obsolete. Some people in the artistic community believe AI art reduces the value of art as a whole, while others are concerned over losing their profession. However, I believe there is hope for AI art to be used as a tool to assist and aid artists in the future. The most important thing I learned from this project is how light affects how leaves look. If I was to remake this piece, I would use a thinner brush for detailed areas and I would try a different method for painting the traditional artwork in the scene.
Quinn Warren
$2,000 CWU Scholarship
Kamiak High School
Grade 11
Teacher: Emily Palmiter
From the artist:
My piece is done in watercolor. The paper it is done on has tattered edges and measures around 30×22 inches. It has a blueish background and features two faces that are mirrored on the other side.
I made this piece in the light of self-reflection and the layers each person holds. Everyone had a duality to them; no human is not complex. It is important for one to look upon themself, to pull apart these layers, and see the truth. The need to be seen by others and yourself is powerful. I hope to communicate those emotions of acceptance, truth, and self-acknowledgment through this piece.
In completing this piece, I learned new watercolor skills and was able to allow myself to show a sense of personal style. If I were to go back and change something, it would be the level of detail and realism. I believe this piece could benefit from a little more clarity, definition, and accuracy in some areas.
Lilika Taitano
Oak Harbor High School
Grade 10
Teacher: Kit Christopherson
From the artist:
Acrylic & oil painting on mixed media paper. Photographed by iPhone.
This scene is from my 3rd grade going-away party that my class threw for me in Japan. The writing on the board are messages from my classmates. My friends also did a talent show of sorts, just for me. It was the first time I felt truly accepted since up to that point, nobody had done something so grand for me. This memory remains as a core connection to my Japanese heritage.
Savannah De La Rosa
Oak Harbor High School
Grade 11
Teacher: Kit Christopherson
From the artist:
A piece encapsulating a love for Mariachi and Traditional Hispanic music, allowing each and every musician to be focused on emphasizing the emotion displayed through the sound.
My love for Hispanic music is shown throughout this piece in a way to evoke emotion to the viewer as well as fascination, wanting to incorporate actual pieces of sheet music to give it a unique aesthetic. Holding a dear place in my heart for music that has been present throughout my life and shaped me into the person I am today. This project taking about 2 weeks there are definitely things I struggles with as far as placement of my musicians and the making sure they don’t seem to drown in the music sheets. In the future if I were to change something about this piece I would choose to go slightly bigger and maybe use some more creative freedom with the music sheets.
Photography Regional Finalists
Mckaye Morrill
Snohomish High School
Grade 12
Teacher: Jay Adams
From the artist:
The nameless person is failing to escape the prison of their own mind. to me this depicts what is beneath the surface in increasing numbers of youth, suffering from suffocating depression and anxiety.
This year I’ve truly found a love for photography. It’s more then what you see posted on Instagram, it has the power to bring to life real suffusing. This year I’ve challenged myself to depict more of the ugly truth that people wish they could bury beneath social media’s facade. For me, this has felt extremely freeing.
Taylen Bader
Oak Harbor High School
Grade 12
Teacher: Jansen
From the artist:
Taken at the summit after a 20-mile climb up a North Cascades mountain.
Liam Kennedy
$2,000 CWU Scholarship
Lynnwood High School
Grade 12
Teacher: Donna Schou
From the artist:
This image is from my trip to New York over the summer. This is one of my favorite images that I have ever made, it captures a lot of emotion, story and suspense all in one photograph.
NWESD Staff Choice
Madeline Atkinson
Kamiak High School
Grade 12
Teacher: Emily Palmiter
From the artist:
An acrylic painting depicting five hands reaching up and grabbing at a female subject.
My painting portrays the objectification and subsequent robbing of control of women’s bodies. The subject of the painting is being grabbed at, robbed of her autonomy, and reduced to an object. I drew from my own experiences as a woman and the women around me, who have all experienced objectification of their bodies; their purpose reduced to the profit and pleasure they yield.