A classmate, a pond, a cheetah, a song, an estranged father.
Inspiration comes from a variety of sources when creating art, as demonstrated in statements that accompanied drawings, paintings and sculptures made by Brandon students and selected for exhibit in the Young @ Art show.
The statements also revealed what students learned while creating, or what they wanted to convey in the art that is currently displayed by the Michigan Art Education Association at Detroit Country Day Upper School in Beverly Hills.
In Mariah Palazzola’s work, titled ‘Mountain Night,? the message was meant to be one of the beauty of solitude.
‘We are so distracted by the hustle and bustle of everyday life that we fail to notice the beauty that surrounds us,? wrote the BHS senior. ‘This is a reminder that there is a place beyond the right here and the right now, beyond the schedules and the deadlines. Solitude, it gives us a chance to think, to reflect…?
Palazzola’s art was one of twenty pieces represented at the show by 18 Brandon students. Brandon High School art teachers Jennifer Bland and Jamie Slot each selected five art pieces from their students for entry into the regional show. Besides Palazzola, BHS Senior Mary Siring had two drawings selected? ‘Dreaming Woman? and ‘Self-Portrait? and Senior Ilich Gomez had a pair of paintings chosen, ‘Dictator Rush? (on canvas), as well as ‘Auburn Hills? (on clay). Rounding out selections for BHS were sculptures, all by seniors: ‘Tree Life,? by Zoe Wielant; ‘The Beast,? by Natalie Schulz; ‘Gecko Dragon Attacks Cheese Cube Castle,? by Cassidy Rodriguez; ‘Mother Nature? by Shelby Trammell and ‘Tune of Feathers,? by Minh Truong.
Truong’s piece, a twist on a peacock, also represents herself, as she wrote in her statement, ‘original, gentle, fierce, pleasant, wild, and deviant. This work was created with patience, frustration and delight since the original ceramic work was broken in three pieces. During the two months of building, painting, re-gluing, fixing, there were times that I wanted to give up but I couldn’t do that since I really treasure what I had been working on so hard. Even though my little peacock is imperfect to look at as it has been through a lot of difficulty in the process of making, it carries my pride and dream as an artist.?
Brandon art teacher Jody Daniels selected works of art from five Oakwood Elementary students and five Brandon Middle School students for the regional competition.
Chosen Oakwood students were: Kindergartener Emily Leschuk for ‘Artist Eye,? Kindergartener Keegan Heckert for ‘Mice That You Can See Inside,? Second Grader Michael Kelsey for ‘Outside at a Pond,? Third Grader Grace Hylton for ‘Cheerful Cheetah,? and Third Grader Kayleigh Bowen for ‘The Doggy Force Field.?
Selected BMS students were: Jada Jordan, eighth grade, for ‘The Way Out,? Hailey Hicks, eighth grade, for ‘Gaia in the Forest,? Daniel Pearson, eighth grade, for ‘Imagination,? Bailey Bumstead, eighth grade, for ‘Watching,? and Katelynn Ceccacci, seventh grade, for ‘Deep Down Comes Alive.?
‘When I look at my painting, I see a plethora of complications,? wrote Bumstead in her statement. ‘I think everyone sees that when viewing artwork, unless they don’t care about it… I think it explains or speaks to the idea that life is tough. At times you want to run and hide in a hole for eternity. When you’re in a bad spot in life and you fall, you get back up for the people around you. They are watching and you have to stay strong for family and friends, not for people who push you around… I like art class because I get to use my whole focus, imagination and mind. You get to make what you see!?
Daniels said she appreciates the MAEA Young@Art show for the revelations it gives her into her students.
‘The end result of what they produced is very personal and about things they like, which makes it more meaningful,? she said. ‘All the lessons I do are open-ended, they are in charge of what they do and they own the outcome.?
For a complete album of Brandon Young@Art work, visit The Citizen Newspaper Facebook page.