Judge Lauds Work on Display at High School Student Art Show in Brandon

Fifteen students received awards for their work at the High School Student Art Show, on display this month at the Phillip G. Mook Art Gallery at the in Brandon.

The show exhibits both 2-dimensional and 3-dimensional works of art along with photography.

Students from Blake High School, which has a magnet program in the arts, garnered the most awards, with four, followed by three for Bloomingdale and two for East Bay. Also recognized were works from students at  Armwood, Brandon, Durant, Plant City and Strawberry Crest high schools and from the Frog Pond Center for the Arts.

“Every year Center Place showcases the talent of our local high school students,” said Dawn Galia, the executive director of the Center Place Fine Arts & Civic Association. “The work is very eclectic. You never know what you’ll see.”

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“We showcase a lot of upcoming artists,” Galia added. “There’s a lot of talent out there.”

To wit comes the judge’s statement, in which she noted the subjective nature of art and the resulting difficulty in choosing the award winners.

“Those that won grabbed my attention from the very start,” wrote the judge, Judith E. Johnson. “Unfortunately, I am limited by the number of honors to be given. You have each put so much talent and art into your creation. Keep working. Keep growing your talent. I wish you all the very best of success.”

Here’s a list of winners, along with the judge’s comments:

2-DIMENSIONAL ART

• First Place / “Major 7” / Austin Arkin / Bloomingdale High School / “Very talented use of scratch strokes to define light and dark values.”
• Second Place / “Sea Creatures” / Megan Locke / Strawberry Crest High / “Lovely control of media. Each segment could stand alone.”
• Third Place / “Beach Lover Girl” / Jaquelin Sanabria / Brandon High / “Soft and gentle but don’t be afraid of the ‘darks.’ ”
• Merit / “Prosperity” / Destinee Moss / Armwood High / “Delicate simplicity of line.”

3-DIMENSIONAL ART

• First Place / “What the Birds See” / Kenisha Morale / Blake High / “Amazing. They want to take flight.”
• Second Place / “Copper Bracelet” / Danielle Gardner / Blake High / “Very intricate piece. Well done.”
• Third Place / “Tangled Tree” / Sophie Sobrito / East Bay High / “How did you do that? Fascinating and well done.

PHOTOGRAPHY

• First Place / “Light” / Sierra Williams / Blake High / “You have captured striking shadows.”
• Second Place / “State Fair” / Gabriela Taylor / Blake High / “Love your composition. I feel like I am soaring.”
• Third Place / “Green Door” / Alanah Kovacs / Plant City High / “Striking bulls-eye composition and play of complementary colors.
• Merit / “Don’t Forget” / Taber Karppe / East Bay High / “I like your light and dark contrast and touch of humor.”

CENTER PLACE AWARD

• “Peculiar Trinket” / Alexandria Leon / Durant High / “So many interesting things to see. So many interesting parts of your life.”

HONORABLE MENTIONS

• “Remembrance” / Andrea Sharp / Bloomingdale High
• “Colors of the Sea” / April Showalter / Bloomingdale High
• “Zebra Butterfly” / Kristen Akers / Frog Pond Center of the Arts