Art

Human Nature

By Rhea Bhatnagar

My work has for the last few months, been inspired by, and evolving around, man as a creation of nature. This piece was inspired by the similarities that we share with nature. Like forests, humans too have secrets hidden behind a mere facade. Beasts thrive within us ,but so do flowers. Here, forests are made to represent the dynamic nature of the unconscious human mind. Just as nature appears to be simple, so do we. However, there lies an often forgotten chaos in the cosmos.

Rhea Bhatnagar is a high school student studying at Delhi Private School, Sharjah. She is a passionate feminist and animal rights advocate who likes to spend her free time volunteering at local cat shelters.

Conundrum, Allegro Vivace, Rise and Converge

By Jessica Lao

Conundrum came from a concept I had of a scrambled Rubik’s Cube covered in unrealistic expectations of the perfect life, graduation, marriage, media pressures, but with a corner pulled out so it’d be literally impossible to solve. In that sense, the stains leaking outside of the boundaries of the paper allude to how the “conundrum” of conforming to today’s society pervades well into our daily existence. I submitted this piece to the Scholastic Art and Writing Awards this year, where it won a Gold Key in mixed media.

Allegro Vivace was based on the flurry of movements at an honor band concert I attended, and to me, it evokes the emotional transformation that music and creation can bring upon us. The style draws from Duchamp and long-exposure photography, and this piece also won a Gold Key from the Scholastic Awards in oil painting.

Rise and Converge is a graphite/collage piece also recognized by the Scholastic Awards earlier in my high school career. Fitting the title allusion to Flannery O’Connor’s writing on race relations, the work references both its black and white medium and the convergence of words in the center, a transformation of both art and society into something new and better.

Jessica Lao is a junior at the Westminster Schools in Atlanta. She is an editor for her school’s literary magazine and a top nonfiction writer and Editor’s Choice award winner for Teen Ink magazine. Previously, her work has also been published in Evolutions and Embryo magazines, as well as recognized by the Alliance for Young Artists & Writers.

Perspective

By Chris Kim

I found an inspiration from the artist Andy Warhol and his Marilyn Monroe series. I thought it would be interesting to utilize the same idea that Warhol presented but with a different medium, a parody if you will.

While Warhol used silkscreen to produce his artwork, I felt it would be interesting to utilize colored paper instead. In addition, I decided to use thin sheets of foam as spacers between each sheet of paper to add more depth to this parody.

While creating this parody, I also began to form the theme in which I would base this work around: perception and perspectives. This can be seen not only in the difference in the material and depth of the piece but also the angle in which the figure is depicted.

While the original Marilyn Monroe series have a straightforward camera angle, I decided to use a lower camera angle for the piece as well as incorporating some maps rather than solid colors for one of the shots.

Chris Kim, 16, is a junior from Bellevue High School, located in Bellevue, WA. This young aspiring student believes that art is an excellent utility for self-expression as well as communication with his community. He loves experimenting with diverse media to create various forms of visual arts: paintings, mixed media, animations, and political cartoons. When he is not working on his artworks, Chris avidly builds and programs with his robotics team, enthusiastically plays his musical instruments, and practices his Taekwondo lessons. When looking at his recent activities, Chris has excitedly exhibited and sold his artworks at a local art fair as well as earning several art awards from the Scholastic Art and Writing Awards. In addition to his artistic interest, he enjoys playing video games in his spare time while watching political, preferably unbiased, news.

Road Trip to Myself

By Chris Kim

“Who am I?” I ask,

“You are wasting your time trying to answer that.” He sighs.

“Then, who’s inside of me? Somebody is knocking here.” I point at my head.

“…Don’t pay attention to such small potatoes.” Once again, he sighs deeply.

I know there is a hidden figure within me, waiting to unlock its true potential.

That person is not myself, yet it is myself.

That person is a description of myself, yet is a different character.

That person and I are the same, yet we are completely different.

I am intrigued…most intrigued.

I need to know who that person is.

I don’t know who that person is, but I know where it resides.

That person is hiding within my own soul.

So, I guess it’s time to begin on my road trip to find that person…or myself…or both.

I have always been curious about my own self, as to who I am. My character has always seemed to be shrouded behind illusions that I simply need to look past. This was the mindset I placed for myself when I began this project.

I used the “outside” area of the picture (CT Scan Image) and juxtaposed it with “inside” area of the picture to visualize that abstract quest to uncover my identity.

Also, I decided to snip parts of road maps usually found in atlases to depict the various complicated neurons and synapses of my brain, which is often confused. I then applied layers of these paper maps in addition to a blue led light to exemplify depth of my mind.

I had just begun my road trip to find the person I am looking for, but I already know it will be endless task.

Water Yourself

By Rhea Bhatnagar

My creativity is spontaneous and usually strikes me by a deluge of thoughts resulting from boredom. While creating “Water Yourself,” I sketched my concept out first, noting down every minor detail. This art piece was different for me since I usually work on projects with no clue about what the final piece will look like- it’s like opening a present on the night of Christmas Eve. Over the months, I’ve found that I create best when I merely sit down in the company of nature, listen to indie folk and let my imagination take over me which is exactly what I let happen when creating this art piece.

Holiday Lights (Red Lantern)

By Austin Li

My inspiration for this artwork comes from the Chinese city Jiang Nan, a city like Venice where towns are built on top of the water. This painting took place around Chinese New Year, hence the red lantern hanging below the roof. In my art-making process, I intentionally exaggerated the fading of the background and emphasized the details of the foreground. I chose a cool color scheme to represent the cloudy weather.

Austin Li is a junior at Los Altos High School in California. As an artist, he enjoys using dry medium to express himself. Recently, he co-founded the Multi-Media Housing Club at this school. The club focuses on creating therapeutic art, and crafting and building miniature houses to assemble a miniature city. Two of his favorite artists are Salvador Dali for his wild choice of subject matters, and Claude Monet for his simple brushstrokes. Outside of art, he enjoys reading and weightlifting in his backyard.

This year, the Chinese Lunar New Year is on February 16. This is a special occasion when families get together, eat delicate food, and decorate their houses with Red Lanterns, which are symbols of prosperity and hope for a happy and prosperous year ahead.

Gong Xi Fa Cai (Happy New Year)!