Art

Pieces of You

By H

This piece is a portrait of myself (the artist) but I don’t want the people to focus on the drawing itself; I want them to see themselves through me. I want them to read the messages I wrote on the piece and look at themselves through the different hues the cds(glass) puts off. I want them to reflect on themselves as a person and think, “this is beautiful, I am beautiful.” I wish for them to understand themselves rather than this artwork in front of them, because they’re the artwork itself. This piece is about reflection of the viewer.

Traffic Jam

By Daania Sharifi

In this photo I manipulated a terrible photo of the car lights and sunset into a magnificent and intriguing piece of artwork. I love to manipulate/edit photos as much as I love taking them. I had originally deleted the original photo. As soon as I did I felt a pang of regret. I immediately had an idea of what I wanted to do with it. Since I went to the recently deleted file and restored the copy, I was able to save the photo. Within that same action packed day I managed to take time to edit the photo. At first, I was playing around with the editor. However, I managed to edit the original photo into this piece. I call it traffic jam because of its story. It (the photo) was originally stuck with nowhere to go—not going forward. But, finally the jam cleared up and it was able to reach its destination. It also relates to how all bad things can turn amazing. The photo used to be boring or not that great, until I manipulated it to be how it is now. I really enjoy the color scheme of this photo so that’s why I chose this photo as one of the submissions.

Daania Sharifi is an eighth grader who attends Gainesville Middle School. She has been published in several literary journals such as the Lit Mag, Stone Soup, and the Rare Byrd Review. When she isn’t taking a photo of everything she sees, she continues to edit her novel with her best friend, drinks Snapple while reading whatever she can get her hand on, and acts out short skits with her sister, Rania.

What Goes Around Comes Around (Cover Art)

By Connie Liu

Marmalade Skyline

By Rachel Bownik

Marmalade Skyline is a photo I took at my uncle’s farm in South Dakota in the summer. It’s setting is the mile long driveway taken in the finishing minutes of the golden hour. The photo showcases how easy it is to end up lost in a daydream when the surrounding area is illuminated with marmalade colors.

Rachel Bownik is a photographer and filmmaker from MN. When not taking endless photos of the sunset, she works as a professional breadmaker.

Looking into Waimea

By Selah Joy

Living in Hawaii, I am lucky enough to be surrounded by beauty at all times. The photo above was taken at an overlook facing the magnificent Waimea Canyon, through the links of a wire fence. In order to capture the image, I had to crouch down and bend sideways, receiving more than a couple of strange looks from the other occupants of the overlook—my own family not excluded. However, I think that the resulting image more than makes up for any minor discomfort I might have experienced.

Selah Joy is a homeschooled ninth grader living in Hawaii. Reading and writing are her favorite pastimes but she also dabbles in photography, engages in various sports, and practices martial arts. On most sunny days, she can be found at the beach, two books next to her in case she finishes the one in her hands.

A Sticker for You

By Ava Wang

“A Sticker for You” is a self portrait using markers and pens. In this piece, I chose to draw an image of my face covered in stickers because stickers, believe it or not, have played a huge role in my life. When I first came to the United States in fifth grade, I neither knew how to speak English nor did I feel particularly inclined to learn it. However, my tutor found a way to make me want to finish all my grammar and reading worksheets by giving me a sticker for every sheet I finished. In this way, I was motivated by my desire to collect as many Hello Kitty, Avengers, and glittery stars stickers as I could to learn English and work towards my goals. Ultimately, these stickers became a part of my identity as they served as the reason I learned English as well as the catalyst for the work habits I have developed over the years.

Ava Wang is a senior at the Westminster Schools in Atlanta, Georgia. She has works recognized at the city, state, and national level by Wildlife Forever, the PTA Reflections, and the River of Words. She is the Teen Ink Summer Issue Cover Art Winner, Teen Ink #1 Top Voted Photo Winner, and the winner of multiple Editor’s Choice Awards. Her works are also displayed at the Hartsfield Jackson Atlanta International Airport as well as the High Art Museum every year and had been published in multiple Embryo and Teen Ink Magazines. Additionally, she is the head editor for her school’s arts and literary magazine, the founder of Art Heals Foundation, and a board member of the Together, We Can Foundation. She also enjoys teaching her after-school art class at ASK!