February 2012 Art For Homeschool Art Show Results

I spent last Saturday with a few of my students at an Art Show. It is called VASE which stands for Visual Arts Scholastic Event. The students were allowed to bring two pieces of art work for the competition. Part of the competition involved being interviewed by a judge. Scores were given for the art work as well as for the interview. After tabulation all the work that received a superior rating was placed in the gymnasium for all to see. Teachers and student artists then were allowed to take a stroll to see the work.

It was very exciting to see the reactions of the students when they viewed the work. You could hear “Ohhhs” and “Awwws” as we walked back and forth through the lines of art. This was the first year for these particular students of mine to compete. We were especially excited to see three of our pieces on the floor of the gym. After the stroll, the gym was closed and the work was judged again to determine which works would move on to State.

Unfortunately, none of my students work continued on to State, but the experience was very beneficial.  Part of the competition was filling out a Student Intent form where they had to write about how they applied their knowledge of the Elements of Art and the Principles of Design. They had to explain the steps they took to create their art work and the reasons for the decisions they made in the process. All work had to be original. Any references used in the artistic process were attached to the art work for the judges to see.

All my students want to compete in the show again next year and they were all inspired to start working towards it now.

So, why am I telling you this? Because that is what I want the Art For Homeschool Art Show to do for you. I want this show to inspire. I want the homeschool students that participate in each show to be encouraged to continue creating. I want all the participants to learn how to look at their work and determine their reasons for creating it. I also want the students to think of themselves as artists.

That was a long introduction. You guys ready for the art show results? I thought so…….

The show was judged by 5 classes of Art I students at Navasota High School. The classes spent an entire class looking at the work and discussing it. The students were required to write about each piece of art. They were asked to find something positive to say about the work. Then they were asked to make a comment on what they thought the artist could do to make the work better. It was stressed that they, the judges, were to focus on encouraging our homeschool artists to continue in their quest to be artists.

Now the results:

5 to 8 year olds: 

First Place

Cupcake - Graceanne H - 6

Congratulations goes to Graceanne for her painting Cupcake. As soon as I showed this piece to my students the reaction was one of  “WOW!”. They thought the detail and color was excellent. I heard many students say they could not paint like that. Here is a combination of quotes about the work:

I like the way you gave the cupcake texture and the use of warm and cool colors. Great job making the flame looks like it is moving. Your cupcake is making me hungry. Looking at the cupcake makes me happy and reminds me of my birthday.

Second Place

Meeting at the Log - Grayson - 8

Congratulations to Grayson for his colored pencil, Meeting at the Log.  The students felt that the detail in the birds drew your eye into the work. Turning the birds so that they looked in different directions created tension and caused you to wonder what drama was happening with the birds. The uneven color in the background gave a feeling of movement in the tall grass. A comment for improvement was that possibly Grayson could have put more detail and color in the foreground to give the work a little more depth.

9 to 13 year olds:

First Place

Cheetah - Nikki - 13

Our first place winner in the 9 to 13 year olds goes to Nikki for her colored pencil titled Cheetah. My students were very impressed with this drawing. Some of their comments were: Amazing! The eye of the cheetah looks so life like. Great detail. The texture in the fur looks so fluffy. You really captured the fierceness of the animal. A suggestion that several students had for improvement was to color the tongue a slightly different color than the background. Great job, Nikki!

Second Place

Quack - Nikki - 13

Our second place award goes to Quack by 13 year old Nikki. Congratulations! Some student comments were: Great texture and color. I love the use of multiple colors and values in the feathers. The background really complements the duck. Glad you used a gradual change in value in the background. Unique. Maybe the drawing would be better if you colored it more solidly without the gaps of white.

14 to 18 year olds: 

First Place

Sea Turtle at Aquarium - Luci H - 14

Congratulations goes to Luci for her photograph Sea Turtle at Aquarium. Before we judged this category I discussed with my students how difficult it is to compare a photograph to a drawing. It really is tough especially if you like realism. My dream is some day to have categories for the different media in the art show. We would have to get more entries for that to happen though and more sponsors.

We only had two entries in this age group. Luci is competing with herself. Luci, I really appreciate you for participating and I hope you will continue. My students were very impressed with this photograph. They liked the way you created the composition making the fins of the turtle create different areas of negative space around the body. The contrast in values grabbed the eye as well. Good job taking a picture through the aquarium glass.

People’s Choice

We had a lot of interest in the art show and over forty people voted for their favorite. Thanks to all who voiced their opinion! This time the award goes to 8 year old, Grayson, for his painting titled Woodpeckers. The piece is quite lovely with the interesting sky and clouds as well as four woodpeckers. Each woodpecker is presented in a different activity from flying to pecking on a tree stump. Congratulations Grayson. Please continue with your drawing and painting.

Woodpeckers - Grayson - 8

If you are an award winner, you will receive an email from me asking for your physical address. This is so Dick Blick, the sponsor of our show, can mail out the award gift certificates. “Thank you” Dick Blick for your sponsorship! “Thank you” parents for helping and encouraging your children to be artists. Also, “thank you” artists for sharing your work with us.

If you feel that this art show and website is worthwhile, please tell your other homeschool friends about it. I would really appreciate it.