By Teddy Rydquist
Leader Staff Writer
A nationwide competition open to students in grades 7-12, the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards received more than 6,600 entries in their Southeastern Michigan region alone — 1,100 of these entries earned recognition, including eight pieces by three Oxford Community Schools students.
Chief among the Wildcat standouts was Luke Farwell, a member of Oxford Schools Early College Program (OSEC) and the son of Laura Farwell, a Career Navigator at Oxford High School.
Farwell had a total of six pieces of art receive awards, three of which were recognized as “Gold Key,” the highest mark attainable. Success in this competition is nothing new for Farwell, as he earned a $1,000 scholarship to Atelier Art Studio in Royal Oak through this program a year ago.
“I started taking classes there (at Atelier) and I was able to meet the owner, Todd Burroughs, who is a great teacher and an amazing person,” Farwell shared.
“He was the one who really pushed me toward oil painting, which is a medium I didn’t have a lot of experience with.”
Burroughs’ recommendation for Farwell to pursue oil painting has resulted in immediate success as two of his three “Gold Key” pieces were of this variety.
In 2019, Farwell’s watercolor painting, “The Blues,” was selected as OHS’ yearbook cover photo. His marquee piece this year is an oil painting titled, “My Drug of Choice,” a unique look at America’s dependence on our electronics and our detachment from the world around us.
“When I began that painting, I didn’t have any idea what I wanted to do,” Farwell said. “I was kind of brainstorming some ideas, and I was actually at school, and I just looked around and saw a bunch of people on their cell phones, not even hearing what was going on around them. That’s where the concept came to me. That moment was the genesis of the idea.”
Inspiration for these works of art can come from just about anywhere and, as Farwell points out, at just about any time.
“There’s no formula to it, I can’t do these three things and then ‘boom, here’s an idea,’” he explained. “I could be sleeping, and I’ll have an idea and I’ll wake up and write it down. Or, maybe something will come to me when I’m cooking or out and about. It’s strange how the ideas form and come to be, but when it happens, I try to take it and run with it.”
In addition to their success at the regional level, Luke’s paintings have the chance to advance to the national level of the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards in New York City. A panel of judges will vote on the potential national medalists in March.
Allison Stremersch, an Oxford Middle Schooler, received a “Silver Key” for one of her ceramic works and Carla Langfeldt received an honorable mention through the Oxford Virtual Academy (OVA).

  Luke Farwell