(Honorable Mention – Painting)
School: Thunder Mountain High School
Grade: 12th
I like to examine a variety of ideas and media while I’m creating something new. Consequently, the concepts I explore while in this process often influence the direction of my creative process. To be frank, the title of my piece was taken in part from my favorite childhood book by Madeleine L’Engle, “A Ring of Endless Light”, a novel that explores the role love and poetry in coming to terms with grief. While I haven’t read “A Ring of Endless Light” in years, I wanted my title to not only reflect my visuals, but the collective influence of media on my art as well. The music, conversations, books, environment, and art that I am exposed to daily influence the art styles and designs that I find attractive and interesting. For example, I’ve read quite a few fantasy and science fiction books in recent years, and the value of discovery and curiosity in these stories has stayed with me. Because of this, in this particular piece –featuring a starry background, gold accents, and a crystal ball–, I wanted to emulate the feeling of being drawn to the mysterious and unknown which in this painting is the creation of myself—complete yet not.