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This gallery contains imagery that may not be suitable for some audiences, including nudity and depictions of violence. Families may wish to preview this exhibition before allowing children to view.

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Cool hint for a better viewing experience!

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Cool hint for a better viewing experience!

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For a larger view and easier scrolling, click on the three vertical dots in the upper right corner of any post. Click "Start slideshow from this post". Now you can use the arrows at the bottom of the screen to scroll through the gallery in large format.

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As you enjoy the artwork from our region's talented high school students, make a note of the number of your favorite piece then go vote for it at https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/OESDPeoplesChoice2025. The piece that receives the most votes will receive the "People's Choice" award. The award recipient will receive a $200 purchase award and their art will become a permanent part of Olympic ESD 114's People's Choice Gallery. See the winner here: https://padlet.com/OlympicESD114/2025-olympic-esd-114-high-school-art-show-awards-z7tduuhkc7uqzxa3

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"A Failure"

Acrylic paints, pen

12" x 9"

Artist Statement:

My inspiration came from the effects school can have on artists. I wanted to show it in a still life format as if you were looking down at your own school supplies. Purposefully emphasizing the grades and drawing on the paper in the piece. Shows "ruined" grades and is meant to emphasize how art is the only clear and important thing in the artist's perspective.

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Painted artwork of a tabletop with an open laptop displaying bad grades in all but art and an unfinished assignment with doodles instead of math work. A pencil lays on top.

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“Trash" the Dragon

Sculpture

5" x 6" x 20"

Artist Statement:

This project draws inspiration from the cover of Twenty One Pilots album “Scaled and Icy”. While creating this project I learned the importance of having a good mental image of the project going into it, as several setbacks were caused by having redo pieces of it. Were I to attempt this project again, I would like to add another segment to it, whether it be another back segment or some wings on the side.

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A aqua-colored ceramic dragon with white spines down its back. It is designed to appear to dive beneath whatever surface it sits on.

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"A Sign of Love"

Clay sculpture

6" x 3.5"

Artist Statement:

The idea of the piece was to make something that was coming from the heart. Using my knowledge of ASL, I had the idea to put a saying into a sculpture of a hand. I made the hand as a gift for my girlfriend, so I put the "I Love You" message into it as a reminder of my love. If I were to do it differently, I would put some more care and time into the painting and glazing because a lot of the detail was lost in the original glazing.

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Ceramic sculpture of a hand signing "I love you" in ASL

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"A Thousand Thoughts That Bug Me"

Watercolor, gouache

12" x 18"

Artist Statement:

This is a painting that tries to show the dynamics within intrusive thoughts. I wanted the thoughts to share space with the person depicted. I have been focusing more on realism and so this project where I was allowed to look back at anime artists and watercolor work was freer and I felt more confident. I also liked the combination of color that psychologically expresses the work with realism. This semester I have been focusing more on emotions and color and brushstrokes to express that.  I learned to balance contrasts so that one side of the painting doesn't overtake the other elements. I don't think I would do anything differently because at each step I really explored different options.

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"Becoming Blank"

Ceramics

5" x 6" x 6"

Artist Statement:

This artwork is trying to convey one’s identity and all the things that make them them but covering it up to fit in more to society, destroying its identity and losing itself, becoming a blank slate.

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"Bittersweet 18"

Acrylic paint

8" x 10" x 0.5"

Artist Statement:

My artwork represents the significant changes that come along with turning 18 and becoming a legal adult, as well as the process of accepting those changes. There are a lot of unknowns surrounding this age, like leaving home and school, where I have been constantly surrounded by familiar people my whole life. I personally just turned 18 and feel a lot of anxiety about the sudden changes that are happening in my life which inspired this painting. The most important thing I learned from this project is that my paintings are subject to change. If I were to change anything about this piece I would pay more attention to detail on the frosting of the cake.

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"Pluma Ligera (Light Feather)"

Vegetable tanned leather

8" x 2" x 0.5"

Artist Statement:

With half my roots being Quileute and Muckleshoot tribal, and the other half from Mexico, I feel that feathers are culturally significant, in both cultures they represent forms of power, wisdom and connection with the Spirit. The medium we were using in class was Veg-Tan leather. I transferred an image I found and modified to the leather, then using a swivel knife, I cut in the internal designs, and using Bevel stamping tools, I created depth in my piece especially focused around the shaft of the feather that central line that runs the length of it, like a connection from Earth to Heaven. After I was happy with the tooling, I cut it out using a box cutter, and beveled the edges before dying it. Once dyed, I soaked it so that I could shape it giving yet more depth to it, and then I finished it by burnishing the edges and using a final coat of Resolene. I chose to adorn it with a heart shape because to me it says “Made with Love”. The pirate I chose because it went well with the feather, and hints at the struggle of living between cultures, two parts of me, at a crossroads, or on a ship at sea between both.

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Perez-PennM Pluma Ligera (Light Feather)

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"Ceramic Ducks. Duck Calls"

Ceramics, wood

Wigeon duck: 12"x5”, Wood duck: 4"x4”, Duck calls: 1"x4”

Artist Statement:

I've always have loved hunting, especially duck hunting. I came up with the idea to make life size duck replicas to possibly put out in the field to use as a decoy. During this project I learned the art of patience and if I was to do this project again I would take more time to make the details better. The duck calls come from the same idea. As a hunter I feed myself so I came up with the idea for my own homemade duck call. I learned while making these duck calls that tuning is key, you are not able to just slap wood and plastic together and hope it sounds like a mallard hen. If I was to make another duck call, I would spend more time making sure all the dimensions are perfect and everything is circular and smooth.

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"Ceramics"

Clay, glaze

6” x 5.5” x 5.5”

Artist Statement:

The concept of this vase is purely inspired by how Native Americans created their pots and vases. I used my own imagination to create my favorite place, which is the mountains, by diving into the clay and carving it out with my favorite color blue and a beautiful gradient with purple. The most important thing I learned from this project was to not be afraid to try to glaze combinations and different creation techniques. If I were to do this again I probably would’ve used a darker glaze on the inside of the vase and reduced smudges.

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"Coming Up From the Underground"

Photography, Lightroom, Photoshop

8.5" x 11"

Artist Statement:

This piece of art is so beautiful to me because it is of my older brother and the numbers at the top hold a certain significance because he was born on July 30 at exactly 12 pm. I learned a lot with this photo. I learned what it means to take a picture over and over again until you get it right and how to edit it until it is flawless. If I were to do this project again I would probably give myself more time to complete it and experiment with different angles.

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"Creative Ceramics"

Pottery

4" x 7" x 3"

Artist Statement:

Cool pot.

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"Deep in Despair"

Acrylic paint, colored pencils, crayons

11" x 14"

Artist Statement:

This piece was made to visualize the inner and outer feelings of despair that young women have experienced or felt at some point in their life. It's something I've realized was always an uncomfortable topic for most and something I felt needed to be seen more. I've learned about the simplicity of colors and how they can portray these feelings. If I were to do this art over, I would find a way to make it more color-matched.

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"Don't Look"

Oil paint

11" x 14"

Artist Statement:

The major idea is how people think they look through a screen. I tried to show the girl being hesitant and scared to look at herself in the picture in fear of what it would show. The most important thing I learned is how to work with oil paints. I would change the background and lighting if I did this painting again.

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"Kong"

Oil pastel, colored pencil

8.5" x 11"

Artist Statement:

The major idea behind this artwork is remembrance. It was a gift to my father who lost his emotional support animal very suddenly. Through this project I learned that the best way for me to connect with those who are grieving is through art. A picture says what I cannot. If I were to do this piece again I would have been more precise with the background. Some lines are not exactly straight.

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"Eden"

Watercolor, gouache

12" x 18"

Artist Statement:

I wanted to paint something beautiful so I asked my sister for a photo I painted it in the best way I wanted to capture her. This was my first real time working with watercolor and I learned along the way how to use this medium. I think if I were to recreate this I would show more of her face and warp her hair differently to shape her.

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"Extended Reality"

16" x 20" x 1"

Artist Statement:

2 planets that came from different universe that are filled with different creatures we have not seen before. The planets are the most important part of it because that shows what it’s supposed to be. What I would change is the planets and do a different design.

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"Fading Skull"

White and black charcoal, black paper

4" x 6"

Artist Statement:

The major idea of this piece is getting to practice using charcoal on paper. This is my first time using this type of medium and I am impressed with the outcome. The most important thing I learned from this project is patience, I usually rush my artwork so it never comes out as detailed as I would like. If I were to do this piece again, I would do it on a larger paper.

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"Fall of Fear"

Gouache, colored pencil, watercolor paper

12" x 9"

Artist Statement:

I feel as if I need to do everything. The fear of letting others down keeps me from taking breaks. I become distant. My mental health declines. It is hard to stay together, and I fall out of control. The girl falling is me, and it is based on a time I rushed from Band to Soccer practice, both of my backpacks were on, and I fell, while everything flew the other way. Nobody was there to see. It was just me. Alone.
The most important thing I learned is how to paint skin tones and that backgrounds should be painted first.
If I were to do this piece again, I would make the values more contrasting, and have brighter colors.

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"Fallen Angel"

Digital art

1500px x 1900px

Artist Statement:

The major idea of this piece was to portray my character in a dramatic setting to help show his true underlying emotions. The most important thing I learned was how to show proportions and composition in digital art. I would change the hair and wing rendering if I did this again.

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"First Impressions"

Acrylic

16" x 20"

Artist Statement:

I was interested in impressionist and cubist style portraits, specifically by Picasso and Monet. I was exploring having multiple colors on my brush at once and preserving my brush strokes without blending them. The effect I was going for was to create a vibe of movement and vibration using line, color, and texture.

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"Folded Reflections"

Old book, magazine scraps, card stock, hot glue, trinkets.

7.5" x 4.2" x 1.4"

Artist Statement:

The book used in "Folded Reflections" was found on an unforgettable trip to Europe with my best friend, whom I've known since preschool. It is a cherished part of the project and symbolizes the life we've experienced together. Each page represents a chapter of my life, symbolizing introspection and growth. The objects intertwined within the pages capture the diverse experiences that have shaped my identity.

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"Gentle Smile"

Charcoal, pencil

11” x 12”

Artist Statement:

The major idea of this art piece is the beauty of portraiture. The most important thing I learned from this project is to insert my knowledge of the form and understanding of the human face.

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"Godzilla 2024"

Ceramic modeling

6" x 8" x 6"

Artist Statement:

This is just a recreation of a head bust of Godzilla's appearance in the 2024 film. I learned numerous things during the process of creating this piece, such as adding and subtracting from the piece being very important. If I were to redo the piece, I'd likely spend more time on the finer details and use better references to get the proportions more accurate in a shorter length of time.

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"Halloween Candy"

Markers, colored pencils

8" x 11"

Artist Statement:

When I was a kid, after Halloween I would sit in bed at night, eating my candy and reading whatever book I couldn't put down at the time. I relish those moments, but also hate them because I wasn't treating my body properly. Healing my relationship with food, especially candy, has taken a long time, and I'm not even there yet, but I'm trying. So I made a happy and colorful artwork inspired by the novelty of sweets during a holiday as a part of my healing journey. The most important thing I learned from this project is to not skimp on the details, because even if you don't think it matters, it does, and can come back to haunt you. If I did this project again, I would have no black space and all sweets, and I'd work harder on the details of this art piece.

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"IDK Yet"

3D design

Artist Statement:

This art piece is about how I feel about my body the body with a hole in the chest expressing how from time to time I feel like I have no soul and my chest feels empty in emotional moments, how sometimes I feel nothing and sometimes I feel too much and it hurts the body with a hole near the tummy expressing how I struggle with and eating disorder and sometimes I want to rip out my tummy so I can’t eat.

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"In the End"

Acrylic paint

10" x 16"

Artist Statement:

I wanted to make an artwork that reflects the importance of family and parent-child relationships. I chose to use two characters from Monument Valley which is a game I really enjoy. Working on this project taught me more effective ways of blending paints together and creating gradients. If I did the piece again I'd spend more time blending the colors in the main subjects cloak and make the Northern Lights look more transparent and realistic.

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"Just a Few Chickens"

Oil on canvas

20" x 16" x 0.5"

Artist Statement:

This was my final project for the year and I wanted to do something fun with texture as I love how Jack B. Yeats uses texture and color in his work. Texture was my overall main focus and trying to capture the different personalities of each of the chickens in the way they stood, tilted their head, and just with color. This was my first piece that I tried to go dull and moody with the colors and the first with this technique.

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"Kona Beach"

Watercolor

12" x 15"

Artist Statement:

The idea for my artwork was a very flowy, cool beach scene that is meant to be calm and tranquil while still having a very lively, dynamic feel. The most important thing I learned from this project was how to manipulate the water to give the texture effects that I wanted to create. If I were to do this piece again, I would possibly make the hill more detailed and the sky a little bit more blended.

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"La Ciudad"

Acrylic paint

22" x 15"

Artist Statement:

Artists from diverse cultures have been my inspiration and motivation to explore possibilities. Art is a beauty that we experience every day. It is so complicated but so simple at the same time. My art can be very messy or unpredictable, and most times I don’t even know what I’m doing. I just hold on to the hope that everything will turn out alright in the end. But that’s the whole point of it all, always experimenting and putting a new spin on things. Lately, I have been working on capturing the essence of human subjects in my artwork, straying from the usual comfort of drawing animals and scenes in nature. My main goal is to expand my experience and knowledge so that I can master all subjects of art, eventually.

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"Levi"

Oil

12" x 18"

Artist Statement:

The major concept for this was a warm-toned, neutral painting. I wanted it to be detailed yet blended with a subtle shift between warm skin tones and cool neutral colors. I definitely wanted the hair to draw attention because it was absolutely fantastic in the photograph I took. The most important thing I learned from this project was highlighting and color layering from the hair, which happened to be the most difficult part of the project. If I were to do this piece again, I would  alter the proportions, specifically around the forehead area.

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"Light as a Feather"

Digital photo, Lightroom

Artist Statement:

The idea of this artwork is to show how we tend to focus on the small things in life, whereas if we let go of some of the small things, we can appreciate the bigger things, like family, and be as light as a feather. I learned to focus on the bigger things while taking this photo. If I were to have the opportunity to take this photo again, I would try to zoom in more on the hummingbird.

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"Little"

Acrylic

9" x 12"

Artist Statement:

I used a technique called Grisaille, and I wanted to address the little differences between everything and everyone and how those small, almost unimportant details can make something that has the possibility of change.

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"Little Treasures"

Digital photography, Lightroom, macro lens

Artist Statement:

When taking this close up macro photo, I learned the importance of the compositional and elements of art. Using emphasis, space, and texture, the true beauty of nature is shown. Even a 'weed' can be eye-catching.

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"Louder is Better"

Acrylic Paint

8" x 7.5"

Artist Statement:

The concept of this painting is self-expression. It also had to do with how people can see alternative people and call them rowdy and weird but really are just having fun and showing who they truly are. I took a little inspiration from the song, "Teenagers" by My Chemical Romance. Through this project, I learned using more bold colors and lighting is much more fun to paint and makes the painting very interesting to look at. If I were to do this piece again, I would probably increase the size and improve on my perspective drawing.

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"Lunar Moths "

Acrylic paint, hot glue

31.25" x 15.75" x 2"

Artist Statement:

This art piece is something I made for two reasons. One, I like how lunar moths look and thought this would be a good project to practice texture. Two, my mom hates moths and thought this project would be terrifying (she still thinks so). I wanted to practice getting actual physical texture into my paintings instead of just implied texture. I used hot glue to outline all of the details in each moth which was very tricky to control but I think they turned out well. If I did this again I would try to get the wings more even because it was very hard to eyeball the shape of the wings and keep the hot glue in a consistent line.

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"Mai"

Acrylic paint

12" x 9"

Artist Statement:

This is part of my sustained investigation on animals from the Kitsap Humane Society. I am trying to bring awareness and encourage adopting from humane societies. I learned about color and the importance of using the right paintbrush. If I were to redo this piece, I would change some of the proportions and make the red-black color on her arm darker.

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"Memories"

Watercolor

11" x 14"

Artist Statement:

The major idea was to make a collage-like painting of items used to capture moments. The most important thing I’ve learned from this painting is to be patient and if you don’t like something change it. If I were to do this again, I think I’d create more balance amongst the piece.

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"Mustang"

Clay

4" x 8" x 3"

Artist Statement:

I really love car design and I wanted to create a sculpture that explores the sleekness and the classiness of older cars. I just started pottery but I am really inspired by smaller work and sculptures.

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"My Brother"

Oil paint

12" x 18"

Artist Statement:

My idea for this painting was to work on perspectives and how it changes the overall image. I learned that I liked to use square texture brush strokes when it comes to skin tones. I particularity don't like the way the skin tone came out, it seems very gray and I would fix the vibrancy and tones.

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"New Light"

Acrylic paint, canvas

11" x 14"

Artist Statement:

When I decided to create this piece, my focus was on working on my use of color, by using bright colors and blending (in the sky/water), and using subtle changes in shade (in the trees and bushes). Throughout the piece I learned a lot about the use of light in painting and how to make things appear to be bright, reflective, or have light just on the edge. If I were to redo this painting, I would focus on a greater variety of textures by accenting the ripples on the shadow on the water more, adding some slight variation to the ground, and making the bushes more varied in their textures.

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"Night on the Road"

Acrylic

16" x 20"

Artist Statement:

In this canvas, I had attempted to capture the essence of motion and movement by blurring the lines and exaggerating the lights. Late at night, I felt that the colors displayed from the town lights and lamps outside had looked brilliant, a rare photo taken of contrast of colors in the distance with the car disappearing. If I had the chance to repaint this canvas again, I would have made the lights brighter.

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"OBLIVIOUS"

Digital

3200px x 2400px

Artist Statement:

When you're happy, you may ignore or set important things aside in order to continue feeling happy in an unbothered manner.

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"Octopus"

Acrylic paint

35.5” x 11.75”

Artist Statement:

My idea for this painting was to use a lot of different shapes and patterns to create a lot of interest in my work, and draw in viewers better. I wanted to make it very visually interesting and fun to look at. The most important thing I learned from this piece was to not be afraid to work on a bigger canvas, and put more detail into my work. If i were to do this piece again I would take even more time to put in smaller details. I would also probably choose a different color pallet.

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"Octopus Coffee Mug"

Pottery

3" x 2.5"

Artist Statement:

I wanted to make this mug for my mom because she really likes octopuses. The most important thing I learned was that if the clay isn't properly secured to the mug it will break off easily in the glassing process. If I were to make this again, I would make it bigger and make that handle more comfortable.

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"One Rare Moment"

Digital, Procreate

10" x 6.75"

Artist Statement:

Its a bunch of stuff I like in one drawing. I wanted to have fun drawing it. I learned a bit about shading and small detail. If i were to do this again, I would try putting everything in more visually pleasing places on the canvas.

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"Painted Reflections"

Photography

16" x 10"

Artist Statement:

This photograph shows how simple, everyday objects can transform into something completely different when viewed from a another perspective. At first, I was planning to take a photo of both the mailboxes and their reflection in a puddle. However, I realized that the reflection by itself looked like a surreal watercolor painting, with the ripples in the water making the mailboxes look like they're slowly disappearing the farther they are from the left. If I were to redo the photograph though, I would have taken more photos from various angles as I only took one picture of the subject.

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"Paleontology Shelf"

Western Hemlock, acrylic paint

30” x 14” x 12.5”

Artist Statement:

My main inspiration was from the common Ammonite fossil and its design. This project has taught me that patience matters, and to not rush yourself on the things that matter to you. Originally, I meant to only carve out the outside walls of this project, and only to have 4-5 swirls on each side; though I believe the extra effort made a good difference for the final result.

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"Palolo Valley"

Watercolor

19" x 13"

Artist Statement:

The painting is from a hike I took a lot back when I lived in Hawaii. The most important thing I learned from this project was the use of layering colors, especially dark and light colors. If I were to redo this piece, I would redo the leaves at the top and make them look more connected to the rest of the painting.

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"Powerful Little Light"

Paint

11” x 14”

Artist Statement:

The idea of this piece was to convey the importance of and sheer potential of hope, notably the kind found amidst a grim, or “dark” situation. Nurturing that hope and allowing it to empower one’s will to fight back against difficulty leads to beautiful prosperity risen out of bleak futility. The little light represents the hope one must take care of, the darkness embodying one’s own overwhelming despair; the warping of the darkness by the light’s force, or the power hope possesses in the face of despair, is what I have defined as the purest form of the idea the piece is portraying; resilience, and how it is compiled of both the elements of hope and despair.

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"Prophecies of Truth"

Acrylic paint

11" x 14"

Artist Statement:

The biggest problem I had in my artwork was the time I put into it. I worried too much and changed too many things over a period that was way too long. In the end it was worth it, but now I know to take careful time and really plan out things beforehand. That is what I'd do differently.

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"Queen of Hallows"

Oil paint

16" x 12"

Artist Statement:

There were some materials in this piece it was hard to paint to get a realistic depiction of the texture. For example, the woman adorns a mask of gold covered in eyes, and it was hard to capture the metallics of the gold. Most importantly, I learned that along with planning out your values, you should also have an idea of the colors you want to use before jumping right in. If I were to paint this again, I'd pick a more dynamic and interesting pose and play more with colors.

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"Rainbow Party!"

Clay, wooden box, acrylic paint, and wire!

6.1" x 4" x 3.8"

Artist Statement:

Well, the main idea is that there is always a party even when the day is cold and dark. Always live in the present and you won't be fearful of the future or stuck in the past. Just be in the present and you'll be happy! Anyways, the most important thing I learned in this project was that if your patient enough and take your time, it will turn into something your proud of! Something I would change would be maybe making the whole thing one piece so it doesn't fall over all the time, but other than that I think I would do the same process overall because I'm proud of it!

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"Reflections"

Watercolor

18" x 12"

Artist Statement:

The major concept of my art was the hidden life in everything. I was looking at an artist, Ava Cavanaugh, who does very flowy watercolor paintings with smoky effects. I wanted to follow that layered effect. I chose monochromatic to give it a lot of flow and easy transitions out of the painting. Adding the colored reflection showed the life behind what we see and also added something to pop. I wanted the reflection to represent looking into deeper worlds. The most important thing I learned from this watercolor was how contrasts between colors when painting monochromatic change the mood and the flow. I had a lot of trial and error with how much contrast to add to get the desired effect. If I could do this piece again, I would add more contrast and detail to the hair.

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"Rocket Reef"

Acrylics

12" x 16"

Artist Statement:

The concept for this art piece started out as a storm of colors, however as I continued I realized I was feeling pulled to bring it in a slightly different direction and convert what I had previously into a coral reef. The most important thing that I learned from this project is that when you are making art you can take your own liberties and go with what you feel would look good, you don't need to always care about what other people want from you. If I were to do this piece again, I would zoom it out a bit to make it so there's an ever bigger view of the reef and add even more colors and details.

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"Secrets Unwrapped"

Gauze bandages, cardboard

4" x 3" x 0.2"

Artist Statement:

I wanted to create this piece to represent the idea that everybody is hiding something- dead or alive. We know from ancient Egypt that mummies can provide clues about a person's occupation, age, health, and cause of death. Even though they are dead, they hid great insights about their culture, waiting for someone to uncover it. I took great inspiration from this and created a piece that represents a mummy’s soul being uncovered- their secrets being discovered. If I were to do this piece again, I would change how the eye looks. I would make it look more frail, and aged. I would not make it pure white, like I did here.

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"Serenity"

Digital painting

10" x 14"

Artist Statement:

The character in the artwork was inspired by beach themed fashion, and sea life I favor such as rays and jellyfish. I’ve recently been experimenting with semi-realism in my artworks with skin, hair, and jewelry rendering. I enjoy putting in the details that really finish the piece. If given the opportunity to do this piece again, I would like to attempt more clear methods and more professional programs that I currently lack access to due to program availability and prices. I would additionally have liked to put more into her outfit had it not been for losing inspiration and my lack of understanding of fabric physics.

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"Shining Star"

Clay, glaze

24" x 10" x 24"

Artist Statement:

I was trying to find a way to manipulate light but also create a statement piece.

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"Snowfall on the Dosewallips"

Acrylic

24" x 36"

Artist Statement:

The inspiration for my artwork has been inspired by the local areas in nature. I have spent a fair amount of time looking around the local rivers and streams, and I thought; these landscapes, especially the upper Dosewallips, looked breathtaking in the snow. During this time, I have also been experimenting with acrylic paint to develop both my depth and texture, This year I have been working on using color, shade, and texture to create depth and atmospheric perspective.

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"Snowy Mountains"

Acrylic Painting

9" x 12"

Artist Statement:

This was the first project I had done without the use of a reference image and is basically an amalgamation of all the work I had done up to that point. Although it isn't a perfect painting, it fixes some of the past mistakes I had made previously, and it shows the central idea of appreciation for nature and the going away from material and industrial nature of our society. The most important thing I learned from this project is that to not make the trees so uniform and more erratic and natural looking. I would change the trees and parts of the snow as well to look more organic.

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"Speak Up!"

Acrylic paint

7.5" x 8"

Artist Statement:

The concept of this painting is punk culture. It is inspired by my best friend. I learned that it's actually pretty hard to paint detail in black and white and still be able to get all the details defined without them blurring together. However, now that I have completed this piece, I think I have a pretty good understanding of it and it increased my painting skills. If I were to remake this piece, I would use mixed media.

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"Take a Picture "

Acrylic paint

11" x 14"

Artist Statement:

The major idea I had for this painting was to show a fun lighthearted mix of a cartoon and semi-realistic style. I learned how to paint backgrounds. I would change the way I rendered the girl's shirt.

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"Texture Art"

Paint, hot glue

8" x 10" x 0.75"

Artist Statement:

If I could change it again, I would add more layers. Right now you can see through the layers.

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"The Breath Of Winter"

Digital photo, Lightroom

16" x 10"

Artist Statement:

The idea of "The Breath Of Winter" is the concept of right when winter comes around and everything is frosty and cold. The frozen blade is winter and the other grass represents the other seasons and how easy it is for winter to slip in without any notice. One day it's warm and bright, and the next everything is covered in frost and it's cold. It really shows how destructive, but beautiful, winter can be. This project taught me about how powerful blades of grass can hold to someone. If I were to do this project over, I might have moved the frozen blade to opposite direction of the other grass, to make it stand out even more.

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"The Cycle Continues"

Oil and acrylic paint

12" x 16"

Artist Statement:

The major idea of the piece conveys that even after you die, life will go on. The world as whole doesn't mourn your passing. I learned that if you don't like something in your reference, process, or vision, to not fear changing it because it'll be worth it. If I could do this piece again I would have liked to spend more time on it, really get into each detail of the piece and refine it.

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"The Icy Mountains"

Acrylic paint

12" x 18"

Artist Statement:

The painting is of a stretch of mountains over a frozen lake. The first problem was when I tried to make the background and the colors were too dark and turned out purple. I changed it to blue but in the finished artwork it still bleeds through. Something I learned from this project is that you can make whatever you want if you practice enough. If I were to redo the painting, I would do the whole background first and make sure nothing that I do not want comes through.

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"The Joined"

Digital photo, Lightroom

5" x 4"

Artist Statement:

The idea behind "The Joined" is to show no matter what comes between people, they can always choose each other. The water represents the challenges that people can face in life and the two plants are connected, just like people. The lambs ears are conjoined even with the water on them, showing just how strong a relationship can be in someone's life. The surrounding plants can be interpreted as other people going through the same thing as you. I learned how simple a photo can be, yet still bring such an important story. If I were to do it again, I might move one of the plants in the front of the camera, just focusing on the main lambs ears.

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"The Oyster"

Graphite

11" x 14"

Artist Statement:

It's the concept that an oyster's beautiful pearl is protected by it's hard rough outer shell until someone comes around and kills it just to rip its pearl out. I want to connect that to a woman's body and how men come and damage a beautiful woman's soul just because they want to open her up for her “beautiful pearl”. In the picture the woman has no head, because men never see her, they just see her body. And when an oyster is wanted for is pearl, the remnants of it is discarded.

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"The Shape of Water"

Acrylic paints, markers

36" x 24" x 1"

Artist Statement:

How much patterns octopus have and a symbolism of art found through natural living things.

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"The Temptation of Humanity"

Acrylics

11" x 14"

Artist Statement:

When I started this piece of art, it was for a still life we were doing in class. The still life was supposed to hold a secret meaning following the belief in vanitas/ Dutch art. I have always been interested in the different types of beliefs and mythology so when we started this project I thought it was perfect, in the end, this painting taught me things about the world and humanity people haven't looked hard at. If I had to change one thing I would change the book the other items fall upon - I would do this by adding more details to pages and overlay.

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"Trapped Through Open Taps"

Acrylic paint and pens, watercolors

20cm x 30cm

Artist Statement:

This piece was created to represent dealing with the many open tabs in ones mind. I have HDHD which can be hard to control when stress or anger travels between me and that. it always feels like there are constant random tabs open within my head, tabs that go every which way, making me zone out to the world around me so I don't blow releasing all those tabs, good or bad. So this painting is of a girl who is zoned out, finding that peace within her mind. If I were to do the piece differently, I'd try to work with the lighting around the room!

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"Tree of the Sea"

Wire, found items

32" x 24" x 18"

Artist Statement:

The idea of my art was to take scrap metal and make something bigger. Using my artistic creativity I made a winding tree with different items from the ocean and beach. The most important thing to take away from this project is the winding metal and how it flows and brings a different element to the art. Using a method that isn’t easy and making something beautiful. If I made this piece again I would have made a “family tree”. And hung different pictures or heirlooms relating to my family.

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"Valak"

Acrylic Paint

36" x 48"

Artist Statement:

While painting this project, I realized how far I’ve come along with art itself. When I want to learn a new skill, I never give myself credit with the amount of progress I’ve achieved. I used to beat myself over the head based off one little mistake. Now, I pat myself on the back for never abandoning my passion for art. Furthermore, I’m proud that I kept pushing to try harder. I don’t typically enjoy painting portraits, but I still went in with a paint brush and succeeded. To wrap it all up, this painting reminded me to take pride with how far I’ve come and to never give up.

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"Wendigo"

Pen, ink, tea, coffee

9" x 12"

Artist Statement:

In this work, I wanted to do more research into wedigos. They’re something that I’ve been interested in for a long time and I wanted to create an art piece about them. This piece includes a full body picture, a close up on the face, and the origin story of the first wendigo written throughout the background. It was important for me that I include some of the original story in my work and I’m glad that I could do that. If I was to do this again, I would test on a scrap piece of paper which inks spread and which ones don’t as I think most of the lines were too clean for the weathered look I originally wanted.

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"What Have I Done"

Colored pencil

9" x 12"

Artist Statement:

In a world destroyed by humans, and a society divided by gender, a young woman is chosen by nature to fix what is broken. She loses herself in her emotion and power, not realizing the consequences that can follow. Gaining back her control, she finds not only her oppressors defeated, but the people she swore to protect as well. She is left in the silence of triumph and despair.

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"Windswept Seastack"

Watercolor, gouache

8" x 11"

Artist Statement:

The idea when I started the painting was to paint close to what I was seeing, but not having everything detail for detail. I did try to make wave in the water but later changed my mind.

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"Your Mind"

Acrylic

8" x 11"

Artist Statement:

I just drew what I thought would fascinate me.

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"Bubble Girl"

Pencil

10.5" x 9.5"

Artist Statement:

It was an art project for class where I drew a mannequin with a wig on. I added my own details and then gave her some personality through the background. The project helped me improve my observational drawing skills. If I were to do it again, I would sit up straight so that I don't draw it slightly crooked.

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"Self-Portrait Riding on a Whale"

Polymer clay, paint, foil, glue, wood

5” x 8” x 8”

Artist Statement:

I was trying to make a creature going through waves. The most important things that I learned are that I love polymer clay and that I can use clear glue as a resin replacement to make things shine. If I were to do it again, I would try to get the glue to set more evenly.

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LopezDownieT Self Portrait Riding a Whale