Each time we have an Art For Homeschool art show I try to have a different judge. I know that eventually I will bring back some of my previous judges but not yet. I choose judges I feel have a love for art, have experience creating art, and understand the importance of encouraging the artist in every child.
Our judge for the August show is Lara DeHaven. She is a homeschool mother of five and also happens to be my daughter. Some of you may already know Lara through her blog, Texas Homesteader. Lara is talented in many diverse interests from crocheting, painting, photography, writing, cooking, quilting, gardening and soap making. She has written a cookbook for people with food allergies and in her spare time is the business manager of Cross Creek Cattle Company.
I appreciate Lara taking the time from her busy schedule to judge the homeschool art. I am including comments Lara made in italics.
First of all, it was unbelievably difficult to judge all the art work. The budding talent is immense. I encourage all artists to continue creating and fine tuning their craft. The different genres prove to be the most difficult to pin one against the other since each piece on its own showcases the student’s ability. Each piece is worthy if a frame.
The Results:
5 to 8 years old:
First Place
Rainbow Smiley by Graceanne, age 6, Tempera Paint
Graceanne is our award winner for our youngest age group with her tempera painting. It is titled “Rainbow Smiley”. Our judges comments are:
This is truly an artistic piece where the subject is conflicted. A nice wide smile contrasts with the long tears streaming from the eyes. Perhaps the rainbow is crying tears of joy. Regardless this entry creates these questions, which illustrates great art. I also love the use of bright colors in bold strokes.
Keep up the good work.
9 to 13 years old:
First Place
Kitty Closeup by Nikki, age 13, colored pencil
Congratulations goes to Nikki our first place winner. Nikki entered a beautifully done colored pencil titled “Kitty Closeup”. Our judge said, “I chose this art work first because of the way the artist skillfully captured the intensity in the cat’s stare. Wonderful job.”
Second Place
To the Woods by Graham, age 13, pastel
Our second place award goes to Graham. He entered a pastel drawing titled, “To the Woods”. Our judge states:
In second place I choose the road. The overall piece is very impressionistic. I love the sky and the perspective demonstrated by the differing heights of the trees and the width of the road.
I enjoyed looking at the other two pieces in this age group. The marker and crayon piece by Melody is colorful and the design makes you want to study it and figure out the deeper meaning. Mr. Chameleon by Maggie has simplicity of line and the brightness of color makes it stand out. The piece also brings a smile to my face. It has a personality in and of itself that engages the viewer.
Great job to everyone in this class. I cannot wait to see what you enter next show.
14 to 18 years old:
In the 14-18 class, my work only got more difficult to judge. I really struggled to decide between the first and second place. They both are incredibly well done, but my decision comes down to which I like better. A different judge might choose differently than I, and I would understand.
First Place
Eva Mei by Jerah, age 15, pencil
“Eva Mei” immediately impressed me. The shading is wonderfully done. The light in the subject’s eyes draws you in and you want to know her thoughts. The detail of the girl’s features, including her hair astounded me. It is as if each stroke of the pencil was intentional and perfectly placed. I also loved the fact that the subject is gray, which contrasted so strongly with the orange lollipop. So in my opinion the details and surprise of color set this piece a hair over second place. However both were great realistic sketches.
Second Place
Emma Stone by Jerah, age 15, pencil
The Second Place award goes to Jerah for her pencil drawing titled “Emma Stone”. Our judge was very impressed by the work in both the first and second place drawings. Great job, Jerah!
More comments from our judge:
While the two drawings were realistic, the third entry today is more of the graphic design genre. The cat has personality and shows the creativity and imagination of the artist. Nicely done, Luci!
Final thoughts from our judge:
Again, I encourage all of these artists to continue in the genre and medium for which they have a passion. Continue the hard work, have fun, and good luck.
People’s Choice:
Our People’s Choice Award goes to the artist that gets the most votes from the public. I am sure it was an extremely difficult decision to make because of the age differences, the media types and the subject matter. I appreciate all the people that took the time to study the art and voice their opinion.
This time the People’s Choice award goes to Jerah for her pencil drawing, “Eva Mei”.
Eva Mei by Jerah, age 15, pencil
Congratulations to all our artists for a job well done. If you received an award you will receive an email from me asking for your physical address. I have to let our sponsor, Dick Blick, know where to send the gift certificates. Thanks again for another wonderful online art show. I hope that you have enjoyed it. Please let other homeschoolers know about this art show venue. Please drop a line to Dick Blick and let them know that you appreciate their sponsorship.
The next art show deadline will be November 1. Does anyone want me to make it a themed show? Any ideas or comments of advice about the show would be greatly appreciated. Take care and keep on creating.