by Nicole Farrell, senior editor
Seniors Carolyn Frankson, Zach Griggs, and Marta Pate, as well as sophomore Jenna Leland, qualified for state at the Visual Arts Scholastic Event, or VASE, which will be held April 4-5 at Bryan High.
The students utilized a variety of mediums, including watercolor, colored pencil, ceramics, and digital software, creating unique pieces that pushed creative boundaries.
“For my portfolio, I had done a lot of anime and people, ” Pate said. “I wanted to try something more historical, like film noir.”
Pate first sketched her idea, then she “layered the color” using colored pencils. She hopes to get Gold Seal, which is the “best of the best,” she said.
“I put a lot more thought into it this year,” she said.
Pate has qualified for VASE the past two years. Griggs and Frankson qualified last year as well.
Griggs’s entry is a ceramic urn–he said the design has “changed a few times with the help of his class.”
With this being his last VASE competition, Griggs shared some regret.
“I’m really disappointed because I hadn’t discovered my amazing talent until last year,” Griggs said. “Not to be cocky or anything, but I wish I had been able to do it before junior year.”
Frankson is completely satisfied with where she is as a senior competitor.
“I feel accomplished,” she said.
Her work is digital, rendered with a drawing tablet connected to a computer.
“I sketched an idea, and then decided to do digital work not very long ago,” Frankson said.
Her inspiration behind her blue-tinted piece was the rain and the ocean.
“I like [them],” she said. “So I sort of blended them together. They give me a soft feeling.”
Leland pulled inspiration from the ocean as well for her watercolor piece.
“I went on a scuba diving trip where I actually saw a lion fish,” she said.
Leland later took pictures at the zoo for an assigned photography project, and worked off of a particular photo she liked. She hopes for better results at VASE this year, noting that last year, she “didn’t do as well as she had hoped.”
This year, two of Leland’s pieces received a 4, or high consideration, allowing her better opportunities than last year.
All students are looking forward to their results in April.
