2008 | scholastic art and writing awards deep run high school

2008 | scholastic art and writing awards

about the presentation

This presentation was created in an effort to share what wedo in the art department of Deep Run High School.Contained within these pages are images and commentaryabout the award winning work produced by our youngartists. Our students performed exceptionally well in the2007-2008 Scholastics Art Competition, winning moreawards than ever before in the history of the school.Art is a mystery to many of the people of our world.Though it is innately human to enjoy viewing images, fewpeople know much about the rigor and processes involvedin the making of successful artwork. Too often, the artdepartments in high schools are categorized differentlythan other “core academic courses”, when the reality isthat the art classes taken by our students are equally “core”to their learning process.Art is academic, requiring a knowledge of materials,processes, history, and problem-solving. This presentationwas made as a testament to the hard work and creativity ofour students, and as a means to help others know whatstudents do down in the art hallway of the DRHS.

deep run high school

about our program

The art department at Deep Run High School is dedicatedto offering a high quality art education to every student whoenters our program. Currently, our department contains fivelevels of studio art, four levels of graphic design, as well ashonors and AP levels of art history.

Throughout this program, our students are challenged tosolve creative problems, effectively write about aesthetics,confidently discuss art, and learn about the evolution of artfrom pre-history to the post-modern era.

As art educators, we are dedicated to the success of everystudent in our program. We seek to offer our students thevaluable and necessary skills to become life-long learners.Those students who pursue our programs to the higherlevels inherit the tenacity of creative problem solvers withthe discerning eyes of fine artists. These students learn tohold creativity and logic in equal esteem.

For more information, visit our website:http://teachers.henrico.k12.va.us/henrico/guyer_m/artlinx/art_department/

2008 | scholastic art and writing awards deep run high school

Gold Key Awards

Kayla ByrnMandy FitzgeraldErica FlaggKaty ReynoldsCody Roberts

Silver Key Awards

Field CraddockSam Denny [2]Courtney DobbsAudrey HesterRebecca KuzemchakDylan Lynch [2]Hannah MahewJacob RamosKaty ReynoldsCasey van FossenErika VeraTimmothy Yang

Honorable Mention Awards

Jeanne HoweDylan Lynch [2]Amanda Mieghan

Kayla Burn11th grade

Pantomime in Silence charcoal on rag paper

30” x 20”

2007

Gold Key

“This drawing is absolutely top notch. There is somethingmysterious about the indirect gaze and covered mouth thatcause the viewer to generate questions about its content. Inaddition to its complex layers of emotional imagery, it wasalso crafted with precision. Not visible in this digitalreproduction are the meticulous marks on the scarf, and thebeautiful treatment of hatched line that make up the shadowson the skin.”

-Mike Guyer

Erica Flagg12th grade

Lineage rice and acrylic on board

20” x 20”

2007

Gold Key

“Erica was deeply personal in her approach to solving theartistic theme of "Surface" that was assigned. Her innovativeuse of rice as her tool for making the marks on the redsurface was a creative way to make a statement about herown heritage. Titled "lineage", this piece is just as conceptualas it is aesthetically interesting.”

-Mike Guyer

Mandy Fitzgerald11th grade

The End digital print

10” x 8”

2007

Gold Key

“This photograph of the artist’s sister is representative of anew direction in her work. Since completing this image, andreceiving accolades for her efforts, Mandy has continued toexplore photography in a variety of ways. Recently, she hascreated an installation piece, in the DRHS Gallery Hall, thatcontains hundreds of photographs. Her installation will be ondisplay through the end of February 2008.”

-Mike Guyer

Katy Reynolds12th grade

Bike mixed media on board

50” x 30”

2007

Gold Key

“Katy has no fear of taking risks in her artwork. This is one ina series of oversized images made from unusual media. Thisparticular work of art is about the artist’s memory of aspecific time and place. It was made from leaves andbranches of a specific weeping willow tree that lives nearher home. On top of the organic material are subtle marksmade with the tread of a bike that she rode as a child. Thehigh contrast of the leaves against the stark backgroundcause the image to vibrate before the eyes of its audience.”

-Mike Guyer

Cody Roberts10th grade

Self Portrait charcoal on rag paper

30” x 18”

2007

Gold Key

“It is very rare for a student to have a specific style of art-making at age 15. Cody has been using these gesturalmarks in his work since his freshman year, and seems todevelop a stronger command of them with each drawing thathe creates. This particular drawing was Cody’s homage toone of his favorite artists; M.C. Esher, the creativemathematician known for images of distorted reality.”

-Mike Guyer

Feild Craddock12th grade

Self Portrait charcoal on rag paper

22” x 30”

2007

Silver Key

“Feild showcases his technical ability in this self-portrait illustration. It was a pleasure to see hisdedication, as he spent every free minute of his timeworking on this piece. His focus is clearly deliveredthrough his delicate gradation of value, meticuloususe of line, and accurate attention to the subtleties ofdetail.”

-Mike Guyer

Samuel Denny11th grade

Gluttony V: The Essence of Time Wasted acrylic on wood

34” x 24”

2007

Silver Key

“The title says it all in this painting. Like many of the drivenstudents in our school, involved in numerous extra-curricularactivities, Sam is often under the pressure of time. Thisimage represents his reaction to all of the things in his lifethat require his attention, and his lack of time to get them allfinished properly.”

-Mike Guyer

Samuel Denny11th grade

Self Portrait : Inspired by Egon Schiele oil on wood

20” x 16”

2006

Silver Key

“This oil painting of Sam was inspired by his research of theartist Egon Schiele. The asymmetry of its composition,grotesque abstraction of the forms, and use of color are allindicative of Schiele's work. This particular painting turned outto be one of the most impressive examples in the class of"seeing" the brush stroke of the studied artist.”

-Mike Guyer

Courtney Dobbs10th grade

Self Portrait charcoal on rag paper

30” x 20”

2007

Silver Key

“Courtney wanted to make this portrait more than a simpledrawing of her likeness. She needed the image to communicateher interests, her intensity, and her athleticism. It was impressiveto see her dedication to completing this drawing in time for thescholastics competition, and her devotion paid off, as she earneda Silver Key in the competition.”

-Mike Guyer

Audrey Hester10th grade

Game Face charcoal on rag paper

20” x 30”

2007

Silver Key

“This is not just an image of a fierce competitoron the athletic field, but also an artist with anability to see what many others cannot. Audreynotices the subtle changes of light, helping hercreate images that are full of life. Titled "GameFace", this charcoal self portrait is personal inevery way..”

-Mike Guyer

Rebecca Kuzemchak11th grade

The Middle watercolor monoprint on rag paper

12” x 9”

2007

Silver Key

“This meticulously crafted monoprint is aproduct of sheer will. After spending manyhours on her original plate from which thisimage was pulled, Rebecca encountered sometechnical issues in the printing process. Herimage and plate were sacrificed, and she wasrequired to start again. She did so withoutcomplaint, or disdain, and managed to createone of the most technical monoprints that hasever come out of the DRHS Art Department”

-Mike Guyer

Dylan Lynch12th grade

Untitled 01 oil on canvas

50” x 30”

2007

Silver Key

This is the first painting in Dylan’s abstract series, createdduring the second quarter of his senior year. Though he isnot at all satisfied with this piece, it was an important steptoward the current work that he is making. His current workcontains many of the same intuitive decisions about color,shape, and line, but is more attentive to the quality of itssurface. His work has improved tremendously this year, andI am very proud of his growth.

-Mike Guyer

Dylan Lynch12th grade

Untitled 04oil on canvas

50” x 24”

2007

Silver Key

“This painting is one in a series of large-scale abstractpaintings. Dylan has been interested in abstraction for awhile, and has found increasing success each time heattempts it. He is not afraid to explore a variety of surfacetextures, nor is he fearful of using line. I look forward toseeing his work grow in the painting and printmakingdepartment at James Madison University”.

-Mike Guyer

Hannah Mahew10th grade

Self Portraitcharcoal on rag paper

30” x 20”

2007

Silver Key

“Hannah was dedicated enough to her work to purchase, withher own money, the professional grade charcoal necessaryfor a drawing of this quality. Her dedication spread to herclassmates, many of whom went out to purchase the samegrade of charcoal for their own drawings. Not only did Hannahcreate a top quality drawing, made with a clear understandingof visual subtlety, but she also infected her classmates with asimilar passion for creation”.

-Mike Guyer

Jacob Ramos10th grade

Self Portraitcharcoal on rag paper

30” x 20”

2007

Silver Key

“This drawing is very personal to the artist, who spent manymore hours creating this drawing than were required. Havinga family history of medical professionals, this drawing byJacob makes incredibly good sense. Most impressive is theway in which he created the detailed x-ray section of hisabdomen. The white linear design is actually the white of thepaper, as he filled in the areas around the white with charcoalto create the design”.

-Mike Guyer

Katy Reynolds12th grade

October mixed media on board

50” x 30”

2007

Silver Key

“Katy created this image from some very untraditional media.She has used the materials of her environment in an effort tomake a statement about the construction that has recentlytaken over Richmond’s West End. Each of the materialsused in this work of art directly relate to the transformation ofher environment into a construction zone.”

-Mike Guyer

Casey VanFossen12th grade

Self Portraitcharcoal on rag paper

30” x 17”

2007

Silver Key

Casey was not interested in meticulousness, and preferred tomake her drawing with wide gestures and vigorous energy.The result is a drawing that retains enough visual informationfor an accurate likeness and communicates the aggressiveenergy involved in her art-making process.

-Mike Guyer

Erika Vera11th grade

Self Portrait With Shellcharcoal on rag paper

30” x 17”

2007

Silver Key

“Erica brainstormed endlessly to find an simple iconic item torepresent her wholly. The shell, pose, and facial expressionwere carefully planned to create this introspective image. Theresult leaves the audience curious about its meaning, raisingmany questions about why the artist chose this particulararrangement.”

-Mike Guyer

Timothy Yang11th grade

Self Portraitcharcoal on rag paper

30” x 20”

2007

Silver Key

“Though this is a portrait of Timothy, the content of this workof art could suit the majority of our students at DRHS. Thisproject required the students to make an introspective imagethat displayed their personality, interests, and likeness. Thisdrawing accurately captures the life a an adolescent in theearly 21st Century.”

-Mike Guyer

Jeanne Howe11th grade

Boneswatercolor monoprint on rag paper

9” x 12”

2007

Honorable Mention

“This image, created by Jeanne, is another top notchprint. The translucency of layers and sophisticatedcomposition are what make this image so interesting.What I enjoy most about this print is its ambiguity.The subject of this image is not exactly clear, but thetitle "bones" helps us find meaning in the abstractedimagery.”

-Mike Guyer

Dylan Lynch12th grade

Whywatercolor monoprint on rag paper

12” x 9”

2007

Honorable Mention

“This ambiguous image was the first image made by Dylanthat demonstrated his unique use of line. Since creatingthis monoprint, his work has begun to take on a veryrecognizable style.

-Mike Guyer

Dylan Lynch12th grade

Untitled 06 oil on canvas

50” x 30”

2007

Honorable Mention

Dylan’s work has progressively grown in scale throughoutthis school year. This painting was created with severallayers of oil paint and melted bees wax, giving it a richlytactile surface. Since finishing this painting, Dylan’s ambitionhas grown, as he is now working on a painting that is over 9feet long and six feet tall.

-Mike Guyer

Amanda Meighan11th grade

Through The Eyes of the Rocking Chairwatercolor monoprint

9” x 12”

2007

Honorable Mention

“These images by Amanda are collectively cohesive, yetindividually sophisticated. Though each image depends onthe others in the collection for the completion of the overallwork of art, each of the photographs within the whole containcompositional complexity and beautifully asymmetric use ofspace. The contextual glue that binds these images is theiconography of rural life in the outskirts of our very own"suburban sprawl" that will eventually eliminate the existenceof this imagery”.

-Mike Guyer