The OHS Art Show: 2024
By Averie Grace-Hayes
Picture of Averie Grace-Hayes and artwork taken by Maddie Mathis
The magic and whimsicality of the OHS Art Show have finally arrived. With different styles and progressions of art, the whole school seems to enjoy what each art class from 6th grade to 12th grade has been working on all year. One can see how different the OHS art classes turned out to be this year, resulting in responses from students in Art 2, Art 3 and AP art.
Chance Cloud: Art 2
Picture of Chance Cloud and artwork taken by Averie Grace-Hayes
Chance Cloud has two pieces showcased in the art show. One is a painting of Nike ‘Panda Dunks’ shoes with a blue textured background inspired by a blanket. The piece is cleverly entitled ‘Walkin on Water’. Even though Cloud didn’t have much inspiration for the piece, it was Cloud’s cleanest and most technical work this year.
Cloud shared, “I used my cleanest pair of shoes, and my most vibrant blanket, and that’s how I got my inspiration.”
Additionally, Cloud had another work in the show, which included an alien-inspired clay bust entitled ‘Persona I: Plain Jane’. This piece had many different inspirations throughout the process, including, Cleopatra, Bratz Dolls and even Juno Birch. Nonetheless, this piece had many roadblocks throughout its progression which demonstrated that art takes discipline and can have many mistakes along the way.
Cloud sighs, “I just turned it into an alien, through trial and error.”
Apart from this, Cloud is currently in Art 2 with aspirations to go into AP art next year. Cloud has been doing art since he could remember. With years of practice, he has acquired the advanced skills needed to pursue Art 2 and especially AP art.
Maddie Mathis: Art 3
Picture of Maddie Mathis and winning artwork taken by Averie Grace-Hayes
Maddie Mathis has three pieces in the OHS Art Show, one of which took home several wins in the ‘Young Talent’ competition. ‘Young Talent’ is associated with the OAEA (Oklahoma Art Education Association) and is a separate art competition, which includes grades 9-12th. Mathis’s winning piece was a colorful print filled with patterns of blue, pink and thick black lines that outline a picture of a bee, which is why the piece is accurately titled ‘Honey, Please!’. Although Mathis’s piece won ‘Young Talent,’ Mathis was not aware her work was entered until after the fact.
Mathis says, “My piece made it into Young Talent unknowingly ... I would have never thought to push myself to enter a competition, so I am extremely grateful Mrs. Collins saw something in it and made the call for me.”
Mathis also had two other works in the show. The first one was entitled ‘Winter,’ which was a vibrant printmaking piece that showed off swirly lines and the overlaying of different colors. The second piece was entitled ‘Pastels’ which was made with pastel pencils and enveloped a bird’s eye view picture of Mathis covering her face. In the piece, Mathis is wearing a pink sweater and leggings, along with the classic black ‘Vans’ shoes.
Mathis has been doing art as an elective since 6th grade and has climbed up from there. With completing both Art 1, Art 2 and Art 3, Mathis has gained tons of knowledge since Art 1. However, AP Art is seemingly not in Mathis’s future.
Mathis states, “I don’t see myself having the time and full dedication to be putting out as many pieces as the students in AP do now. But I don’t think I’ll ever stop making art in my free time because it has always been something I enjoy.”
Sydney Wallace: AP Art
Picture of Sydney Wallace and artwork taken by Averie Grace-Hayes
Sydney Wallace has five different artworks in the art show, all in the specialized AP art room on the side of the main display. Most of Wallace’s works show the influence of luck through a Native American narrative. Wallace’s art has a specific style of being overtly colorful while simultaneously having a deeper, darker undertone. While not being Native American herself, Wallace’s mom works for a Native American organization, so Wallace has connections to the community.
In AP art, students are required to pick a topic that is of interest to them. Over the year in AP art, the students’ chosen interest is showcased in their portfolio, indicating how the student has progressed over the year. Knowing this, the year in AP is concluded by sending a portfolio of the student’s artwork to various colleges.
All this in consideration, Wallace chose something out of the ordinary for an AP student; she chose to focus on a community outside of herself.
Wallace states, “A lot of topics in AP art are overused and cliché, and I wanted to stay away from that as much as possible. So with luck, perception and the cultures, I feel like not a lot of people do that...For me I didn’t want to do what other people would do. ... I also wanted to research and learn about other people’s culture.”
Wallace has been doing art since 6th grade, which in turn caused her art to go through a great deal of work and progress to where she holds her place now. Throughout Wallace’s years of art, she won the ‘Scholastic Art Contest’ in her sophomore year. Wallace doesn’t tend to take her art too seriously but still continues to enjoy it in an AP setting as well as in her free time.
Congratulations to all of the winners in this year’s OHS Art Show! The Art Show is a picturesque way to see the art at OHS and get to know the collective artists. The Owasso community looks forward to celebrating their future accolades as these students continue to develop their artistic talents.