By June Peers
The visual and performing arts department (VAPA) hosted its annual art showcase in Highlander Hall last week. The gallery was open to students and staff during the school days and to the community during Open House. The VAPA art showcase illustrated students’ creativity and artistic talents. The department showcased a variety of works as well including traditional and more popular artworks, cinematographic films, and music. Here are some of the artworks that the VAPA department highlighted.
“Caution: Identity Underway” by Kali Capper
This emotional acrylic painting, entitled “Caution: Identity Underway,” received much praise and accolades as it was displayed at California State University Northridge’s 25th Annual High School Invitational Art Show. Senior Kali Capper described this painting as a representation of the detrimental impact of societal gender norms. Society expects people to behave along predetermined lines of “femininity” or “masculinity.” The person in the painting is undergoing much anguish, conflicted between either revealing their true identity or following the societal norm.
“Don’t Go To Sleep Yet” by Ashlyn Kelly
This aesthetically pleasing photograph, entitled “Don’t Go To Sleep Yet,” captures the essence of sacrificial love. Junior Ashlyn Kelly, depicted her own experiences of communicating online with the person she likes in this photo. The light gleaming on the girl’s face is from the brightness of her phone. The girl is cognizant that it is getting late, but she continues to text the boy as they are finally getting to know each other on a deeper level. The title of the piece is a common phrase Kelly would receive during text message conversations, the boy pressuring her to sacrifice her slumber in order for her to converse with him for a little longer. The overall message of this photograph is that the sacrifices you make for others can create great and happy memories for your future self to look back on.
“Bye-bye butterfree” by Diego Perez
This vibrant masterpiece, entitled “Bye-bye butterfree,” depicts how the relationships we form with others can influence our emotions. The many beautiful butterflies in this drawing can represent the rebirth of emotions when we are first introduced to someone. Additionally, the broken arm and cracks on the person’s body can symbolize how our identity is often reshaped and “broken” when we form connections with others. Senior Diego Perez, used many materials for this piece, such as Plaid Press newspapers and different shades of markers. The variety of materials draws the audience’s focus on the work’s intricacies.
“Love and Anguish”
This short film entitled, “Love and Anguish,” offered clips of a couple being in love juxtaposed with clips of the two arguing. The couple’s quarrels become more intense as the film progresses while flashing back to the two having fun together. The mysterious quality behind the film is that it is not revealed what the couple is arguing about. As shown above, this scene of the couple at a train station showcases the filmmaker’s ability to produce great cinematography.
“Siblings on the Horizon” by Ava Kim
This eerie, yet mystical painting, entitled “Siblings on the Horizon,” uses many different washes and textures in order to accurately depict the realism of the “storm.” Junior Ava Kim, uses both acrylic and watercolor paints to add an ethereal quality to the painting. The contrast between the white in the middle of the storm and the dark colors surrounding it certainly makes its viewers wonder what is approaching the two characters.
Comic Panel Painting by Rizwan Ahmed
This dynamic and vibrant close-up panel of a superhero by senior Rizwan Ahmed mesmerizes its audience. The clean and bold linework along with subtle details, such as the different colors in the character’s face is what makes this piece both dramatic and immaculate. Pictured above is a wall of all the students’ comic drawings. It is truly incredible how these young artists are able to perfectly mimic the exact drawings you would find in a comic book.
Hibiscus by Naomi Nogueira
This detailed, precisely dotted drawing uses the artistic technique ink stippling. Senior Naomi Nogueira has clearly mastered the art of ink stippling as the image of a realistic hibiscus flower can be seen from afar. By clustering dots in some areas of the drawing and spacing dots out in other areas, Nogueira demonstrated her ability to create an image with little to no linework.
“Late Love Does Not Give Away to Sweethearts” by Ka Amezquita
Freshman Kaz Amezquita’s beautiful movie poster made with Photoshop, entitled “Late Love Does Not Give Away to Sweethearts,” captures the essence of young love. The large doodle of a couple kissing with a burning letter underneath it, seeming to erase the couple out of existence, is what makes the overall theme stand out. The blurb, “You never realize you love someone till it’s too late,” suggests that there is often remorse when you part ways with a romantic partner.
Crocheted Fashion by Luna Mendoza
These stylish, delicate crochet tops are for the artist’s brand, Muñeca. Pictured above is the artist, senior Luna Mendoza, wearing another top from her collection. The drawings behind her are drawings of the collection. All in all, it was refreshing to see fashion pieces, which are not as often seen in the VAPA showcase.
Black and white sketches
These black and white sketches showcase how our school’s incredibly talented artists are able to produce works that accurately depict realistic faces and bodies. The pieces were so realistic that it often felt as though you were looking at a photograph rather than a sketch. The cohesion between the black and white drawings on this wall is what made it so mesmerizing to look at.
Orchestra and Choir
The gallery not only highlighted students’ visual art but other artistic endeavors as well. The orchestra performed songs such as “Hoe-Down” and “Passacaglia.” The sound of the viola, violin, bass, cello, and piano added to the cultured atmosphere of the gallery. The orchestra had been preparing for this performance since the beginning of the second semester. Their hard work definitely paid off as the performance was awe-inspiring and left the audience wanting more. The various choirs on campus also performed throughout the showcase.
The art gallery served as a free art museum for Granada students. This gave artists on campus the opportunity to share their art with a larger audience and see their classmates’ reactions to their art. What made this exhibition unlike any other is that students were able to see and appreciate artwork from their peers all while recognizing the artistic talent that our students certainly have.
The Plaid Press 