The results of our 2013 February AFH Art Show are in. Cindy Falco was kind enough to judge the show for us. Cindy has been a teacher for 31 years. 19 of those years she spent teaching art at the junior high level. Cindy studied at Texas A&M University, Texas State and Lamar University.
At this time, Cindy is a Teacher Trainer through a special program at Navasota Independent School District which is funded by a 5 million dollar grant. Her personal creative passions are photography and scrapbooking. Thank you Cindy for judging this show!!!
Cindy took a great deal of time and thought looking at each entry. She made comments on all the entries. Her comments are meant to encourage and also help the artists look at their work and see how they might be able to improve. I am going to include Cindy’s comments in quotations and italics so that everyone will know when she is speaking throughout this article.
Cindy said about her suggestions, “Please remember that they are only my opinion, so don’t let my suggestions make you doubt your ability or the quality of your work. The important thing to remember is that your artwork is simply that…yours, and you should love it! Don’t make changes to your creation just because someone else makes suggestions. :)”
First of all: Cindy said, “What a great group of entries. The quantity was small, but the quality certainly was not.”
Age 5 to 8 Years Old: First Place
Parading Around – Isaac – Age 6
“Isaac, your photograph, Parading Around, was full of color, life, and movement. The negative space (sky) was a great backdrop for the flags. I was surprised that this was taken by a 6-year-old. The smile on the face of the person in the center of the photo was amazing. I am glad you captured it. Continue to photograph events that you attend. You have a talent for seeing what needs to be captured in a photo. Great job, Isaac!”
Age 9 – 13 Years Old: First Place
Macro Rose – Kyla – Age 13
“Kyla, your entries, Macro Rose and Big Sister and Baby, are amazing. I have photographed professionally, and I love Georgia O’Keeffe’s flower paintings, so I am really drawn to Macro Rose. Love it!! Your composition and cropping are excellent. I love the way you left some of the areas a little out of focus to make the viewer see the details of the petals. I love the way you included a little negative space on the right side of the photo. Great way to balance the dark areas in the center of the flower. I don’t have any suggestions for Macro Rose. Your photo is wonderful.”
Second Place:
Big Sister and Baby – Kyla – Age 13
“Big Sister and Baby is another really good photograph. By keeping the background bare, you have made these children seem vulnerable and in such great need. The plants in the foreground, however, help anchor the children in the composition. The highlights on their foreheads, shoulders and clasped hands bring the viewers’ eyes into the most important part of the photo…the children and how protective the Big Sister is of the baby. What a story this photograph tells. Really, really good! My only suggestion for this photo is to consider cropping the rock on the lower right side of the photo, as well as the small rock in the upper left portion of the photo. They can be a little distracting. Remember that this is only a suggestion. Please remember that the person you have to please is yourself. If you like them there, LEAVE them. Your photo is so good that it is hard to find anything that could improve it.
Kyla, you have a photographer’s eye. Continue to photograph nature and life around you. Consider photography as a future career, because you have talent! Thanks for allowing me to see your entries.”
To the other two students Cindy made the following comments: Bird Couple on a Winter Pine – Grayson – Age 9
“Grayson, your entry, Bird Couple on a Winter Pine, looks like a large pine tree in our front yard. The tree details are very good. You captured the bark, as well as the little twigs that are left on the branches that are left when the pine needles are gone. I really like the way you made the tree lean and slightly bend, as well as adding the bird couple at the bottom. It tells a story. Your composition was good.
Here are some suggestions.” Please remember what Cindy said above about her suggestions.
“Continue to work on shadows (like the bird’s shadow on the tree…continue it down to connect it to the bird’s branch.) and shading (around the edges if the trunk and limbs). You have a very good start, and I think a little more contrast (light, medium, and dark pencil lines) would make your drawing POP off of the paper. That’s the next step in shading, and I think you are ready for that step. My most important suggestion is this: Never, never, never stop creating. You have talent! Thanks for allowing me to see your entry.”
Autumn Get Away – Mackenzie – Age 11
“Mackenzie, your entry, Autumn Get Away, instantly takes me back to the Caribbean. The colors are authentic, as well as vivid. I really like the way you made the waves come alive with the white tops, as well as adding depth with the darker water below the palm trees. I loved the foliage! Your composition was good.
Here are some suggestions. I think it could have been stronger if you had shown the tops of the palm trees with some sky over them, and then altered the sky’s color to make it stand out a little more from the water. Continue to work on objects in the distance (such as the sand on the left side of the island and the mountains on the right.) My most important suggestion is this: Never, never, never stop creating. You have talent! Thanks for allowing me to see your entry.”
Peoples Choice Award:
Bird Couple on a Winter Pine – Grayson – Age 9
The Peoples Choice Award was voted by you the readers. I appreciate each and every one of you that took the time to look at all the work and to voice your opinion. Thank you for making this online art show a success.
This time Peoples Choice goes to Grayson with his pencil drawing titled, Bird Couple on a Winter Pine. Thank you Grayson for your participation and enthusiasm about creating art.
Each of the First Place award winners and Peoples Choice will receive a gift certificate from our sponsor Dick Blick Art Materials. It really is wonderful that this art supply company is supporting this venue for homeschool students.
I want to send my appreciation to each of the parents and students that participated. This art show would be nothing without you. The next AFH art show deadline is May 1. We will have a theme in the upcoming show. The theme is “Home”. I think that theme is broad enough to give people plenty of room for ideas. Plus, it sounds like the perfect theme for a homeschool art show. 🙂
Other AFH Art Shows You Might Enjoy:
November 2012 AFH Art Show
August 2012 AFH Art Show
May 2012 AFH Art Show