Painting

  • Ridin’ Free

      Title of Art Piece: Ridin’ Free Category: Painting   Student/Artist’s Name: Veronica Bogdziewicz School: South Anchorage High School Grade: 11th Artist Statement: In this painting, the horses are breaking free from their pin and racing along the open landscape symbolizing their pursuit of freedom and liberation. The untamed spirit of the horses is captured by their movement in the painting. Also the vastness of the landscape embraces the idea of endless possibilities signifying their freedom. In contrast the presence of the cowboys introduces the ides of control between them and the horses. Artwork Dimensions: 20 inches High x 16 inches Wide   Additional Images:    Adjudicate Artwork

  • Juicy Tomato

      Title of Art Piece: Juicy Tomato Category: Painting Student/Artist’s Name: Chloe Romerdahl School: South Anchorage High School Grade: 11th Artist Statement: I created this tempera painting of a fresh tomato using the color compliments of green and red. White was used to create lighter tones; however the combination of red and green created the darker tones. The water drops intrigued me the most and helped to add a textural complexity. I also focused on the lighting and reflection of the droplets. My goal was to develop an image to appear as realistic as possible and capture the freshness of the moment for this tomato. Artwork Dimensions: 9 Inches High x 12 Inches Wide   Additional Images:    Adjudicate Artwork

  • Creation Myth

      Title of Art Piece: Creation Myth Category: Painting Student/Artist’s Name: Shayla Mazer School: West Valley High School Grade: 12th Artist Statement: Acrylic paints on watercolor paper For my reference for this painting, I used a photo of myself taking a nap at age 6ish. I was struck by the vulnerability of the image, and it inspired me to wonder about how much of my worldview today came from my dreams as a child. By making myself both a huge figure in a landscape of trees and rivers and just a little girl sleeping in bed, I wanted to evoke the importance of the self in our perception of the world, and how my conception of myself at a young age served as a foundation…

  • Balance

      Title of Art Piece: Balance Category: Painting Student/Artist’s Name: Yuliia Potapchuk School: Joe Redington Sr. Jr/Sr High School Grade: 12th Artist Statement: Here the living and the mechanical are combined, despite the fact that the horse is not a living being, instead it balances well with the living, replacing the living, which symbolizes balance. Artwork Dimensions: 13.75 inches tall by 10 inches wide   Additional Images:    Adjudicate Artwork

  • Dance of a Mechanical Soul

      Title of Art Piece: Dance of a Mechanical Soul Category: Painting Student/Artist’s Name: Yuliia Potapchuk School: Joe Redington Sr. Jr/Sr High School Grade: 12th Artist Statement: This painting shows how the figure is suspended between the mechanical and the living, unable to choose one thing because it is tied to both the virtual, mechanical world and the living. Artwork Dimensions: 10 inches tall x 8 inches wide   Additional Images:    Adjudicate Artwork

  • Gershwin’s Garnet

      Title of Art Piece: Gershwin’s Garnet Category: Painting Student/Artist’s Name: Camille Russell-Lew School: West Valley High School Grade: 11th Artist Statement: This piece was inspired by my friend who is a violinist. Her favorite color is red and I was trying to capture two of her favorite things in this work. Artwork Dimensions: 13×22   Additional Images:    Adjudicate Artwork

  • Northern Lights

      Title of Art Piece: Northern Lights Category: Painting Student/Artist’s Name: Kathrine Connie Tazruk School: Alak School Grade: 12th Artist Statement: The reason I was motivated to make the Northern Lights was mainly to express our cultural and traditional lifestyle. The northern lights piece was made to admire our skies and how they guide us in hunting and traveling. The beauty that it gives us, the light in the dark, and the grace of their motions. The trees give us stability, to build endless supplies, and the home of those that roam in the sky and on the ground, simply to see the meaning and importance of our resources. Artwork Dimensions: 10 in x 7.8 in   Additional Images:    Adjudicate Artwork

  • Purple Mountains

      Title of Art Piece: Purple Mountains Category: Painting Student/Artist’s Name: Willow Hinsberger School: Homer High School Grade: 10th Artist Statement: I didn't have anything particular in my mind while painting this; I just wanted to see what I could make with the resources I had on hand. Now that I reflect on the choices and elements I used, I can recall my memory of the place. While I don't particularly remember where this place is, I can still remember the ice cream shop, the trees, and the way the air felt. I know that the mountains weren't purple, unless they were, and there was a lake, not a river, but it's still the same place to me. Artwork Dimensions: 7"X5"   Additional Images:   …

  • Sentimental Still Life

      Title of Art Piece: Sentimental Still Life Category: Painting Student/Artist’s Name: Alana Clements School: Mat-Su Central Grade: 12th Artist Statement: I arranged a several of my keepsakes inside a lantern to create a still life painting. Artwork Dimensions: 16" x 20"   Additional Images:    Adjudicate Artwork

  • The New Colossus

      Title of Art Piece: The New Colossus Category: Painting Student/Artist’s Name: Alana Clements School: Mat- Su Central Grade: 12th Artist Statement: This was an interpretation of what I think The Statue of Liberty means today. Part of our prompt was to imagine ourselves being the model for the statue – what would our body language/posture be? We also read part of Emma Lazarus' poem that was an invitation to refugees. I don't think she still represents our current foreign and domestic polices. Artwork Dimensions: 14' x 17"   Additional Images:    Adjudicate Artwork

  • Wandering Muskox

      Title of Art Piece: Wandering Muskox Category: Painting Student/Artist’s Name: Sila Evans-Peacock School: AKChoice K-12 Learning Grade: 9th Artist Statement: Growing up me and my family would always visit Nome. Nome, Alaska is probably my favorite place on the planet. The best part of going to Nome is watching the muskox. I thought it would be a good idea to paint somewhere I loved with something I loved. Salmon lake; capturing the pretty, cloudy days and the big, scruffy gentle muskox as I remember it from my memory. Getting to be free and enjoy the nature of the tundra. Artwork Dimensions: 8 inches high x 10 inches wide   Additional Images:    Adjudicate Artwork

  • Salmon Lake

      Title of Art Piece: Salmon Lake Category: Painting Student/Artist’s Name: Sila Evans-Peacock School: AKChoice K-12 Learning Grade: 9th Artist Statement: Being far from home. Alaska has made me realize how much I take my sacred land for granted. Alaska's beauty is far beyond my comprehension, for that reason I want to comprehend it as much as I can. I wanted to paint a sacred place for me and my family. Kenai lake; I wanted to try to capture the turning of seasons. A change from the beautiful greenery to the calming orange and fiery reds. Artwork Dimensions: 16 inches high x 20 inches wide   Additional Images:    Adjudicate Artwork

  • Aquarium

      Title of Art Piece: Aquarium Category: Painting Student/Artist’s Name: Ivy Suoja School: Service High School Grade: 11th Artist Statement: This piece is made with ink, watercolor, and acrylic. I used gyotaku fish molds and printed onto the paper, then watercolor and acrylic to create the portrait. This piece shows human's desire to connect with nature. I like how the fish and person share the same eye. Artwork Dimensions: 8 inches wide x 10 inches tall   Additional Images:    Adjudicate Artwork

  • Portrait of Dasha and Sasha

      Title of Art Piece: Portrait of Dasha and Sasha Category: Painting Student/Artist’s Name: Dariia Bondarenko School: Service High School Grade: 11th Artist Statement: Sasha and I are both from Urkraine and became friends in Anchorage, Alaska. I made this painting because it shows realism in watercolors. I have been working on portraiture this year and water colors. I like this painting because of the technique and colors. Artwork Dimensions: 14 inches tall by 11 inches wide   Additional Images:    Adjudicate Artwork

  • Our Field

      Title of Art Piece: Our Field Category: Painting Student/Artist’s Name: Claire Jong School: West Anchorage High School Grade: 12th Artist Statement: Our Field is an acrylic painting which explores the theme of tobacco farmers losing the rights to their own work and being forced to hand over everything they cultivate. The red and blue features throughout the piece tie back to traditional and modern clothes commonly seen in Meinong, Taiwan. The main subject shows a hand holding tobacco and being forced to hand it over to the dictatorial KMT government while at the same time being restrained, showing the restrictions farmers felt. Artwork Dimensions: 20 inches tall X 15 inches wide   Additional Images:    Adjudicate Artwork

  • Sunrise Drive

      Title of Art Piece: Sunrise Drive Category: Painting Student/Artist’s Name: Scout (Frances) Gramse School: West Anchorage High School Grade: 12th Artist Statement: This plaster and acrylic tondo represents the fleeting feelings of childhood and the duality within the want to grow up. The strong leading lines draw the viewer into the piece, creating the sense that the viewpoint is guiding the child down the sidewalk. The small child represents the naive hope in maturity and the aspiration to find freedom in age. This contrasts the harsh reality of coming of age, and the eventual realization that being young is the only time one will feel true freedom. Artwork Dimensions: 16" height x 16 inches wide X 1/2 deep   Additional Images:    Adjudicate Artwork

  • Familiarity

      Title of Art Piece: Familiarity Category: Painting Student/Artist’s Name: Aether Moxey School: West Anchorage High School Grade: 11th Artist Statement: Familiarity was created out of the want to represent my childhood with a landmark that is still present today, the Inlet Tower. My childhood home, a little cabin with a huge backyard in the heart of Downtown Anchorage, was destroyed in 2018 and replaced with a four-plex. I grew up walking to and from school every day with the tower in my view, saw this building throughout the destruction and my parents' divorce, and now it stands tall out the window of my Dad's condo that has been passed down throughout generations. I accidentally captured the reference for this painting by taking a photo…

  • The Part of me I Carry

      Title of Art Piece: The Part of me I Carry Category: Painting Student/Artist’s Name: Aleilum Kendall School: Wasilla High School Grade: 12th Artist Statement: My painting depicts me as my younger self, holding the stuffed bear I carried throughout my early childhood. I used watercolor to create soft, yet vibrant tones that reflect the warmth and energy of youth. The bright yellow and red variations emphasize the bear as the focal point, symbolizing comfort, peace, and security. The soft pinks and purples in the clothing and background generate a sense of innocence and nostalgia tied to childhood memories. Through this piece, I wanted to capture not just how I looked holding my bear but also how I felt, safe, happy, and warm Artwork Dimensions:…

  • The Fear of Flowers

      Title of Art Piece: The Fear of Flowers Category: Painting Student/Artist’s Name: Marry-Jane Saputski School: Joe Redington Sr. Jr/SR High School Grade: 11th Artist Statement: This is a piece for the fear of Flowers. This piece is to express that flowers are beautiful, but to some people, they look at them and start to get anxiety and feel fear. This piece is made with two canvases, both acrylic, and lots of layering. Artwork Dimensions: 22" high x 13" wide   Additional Images:    Adjudicate Artwork

  • Sunflowers Hope

      Title of Art Piece: Sunflowers Hope Category: Painting Student/Artist’s Name: Kyle Pineda School: Service High School Grade: 12th Artist Statement: Sunflowers are a symbol of devotion, happiness, and optimism in life. The sunbeam shining on the vividly colored sunflower conveys warmth and comfort, while the dark background symbolizes the limitless difficulties life provides. When you feel as though your life has wandered off into a dark void of hurt and negativity, and you feel completely lost, as though you're only trapped in a fog of your own pessimistic thoughts. It pulls you out as a beam of hope or a guiding light. I wanted the spectator of this painting to experience the warmth and shimmering hope that sunflowers offer, similar to how individuals feel…

  • Brighter

      Title of Art Piece: Brighter Category: Painting Student/Artist’s Name: Abigail Bettisworth School: West Valley High School Grade: 12th Artist Statement: I was inspired by the shape of the ram's horns. It was cold and dark when I painted it and the color palette evolved into something bright and cheery. The medium is gouache. Artwork Dimensions: 12 x 10   Additional Images:    Adjudicate Artwork

  • Flower Power

      Title of Art Piece: Flower Power Category: Painting Student/Artist’s Name: Layla Shangin-Kosbruk School: Kenny Lake School Grade: 10th Artist Statement: These are my favorite colors. Artwork Dimensions: 8 in high x 10 in wide   Additional Images:    Adjudicate Artwork

  • The Sway

      Title of Art Piece: The Sway Category: Painting Student/Artist’s Name: Hannah Nelson School: Kenny Lake School Grade: 10th Artist Statement: Watching the trees on a windy day. Artwork Dimensions: 8 in high x 10 in wide   Additional Images:    Adjudicate Artwork

  • Blue Flower

      Title of Art Piece: Blue Flower Category: Painting Student/Artist’s Name: Juliet Scudder School: Kenny Lake School Grade: 10th Artist Statement: I really liked the colors and the blue was a nice contrast to the red. Artwork Dimensions: 8in high x 10in wide   Additional Images:    Adjudicate Artwork

  • Prince, Bull, Prisoner

      Title of Art Piece: Prince, Bull, Prisoner Category: Painting Student/Artist’s Name: Jayden Hollon School: West Anchorage High School Grade: 12th Artist Statement: This piece is meant to explore three aspects of the Minotaur, Prince Asterion, The Bull of Crete, and the Imprisoned Minotaur. Each figure of the Minotaur represents both an identity and a possible outcome of his future. Life in royal luxury, death at the hands of a hero, or slowly drowning in sorrow as he is trapped in the labyrinth. The piece is made with oil paints over acrylic, and contains a pallete of ocher and blue. Artwork Dimensions: 26 inches high x 14 inches wide   Additional Images:    Adjudicate Artwork

  • Before I Commit

      Title of Art Piece: Before I Commit Category: Painting Student/Artist’s Name: Maria Nafzger School: South Anchorage High School Grade: 9th Artist Statement: This piece is created using acrylic paint depicting the myth of Persephone and the pomegranate. Artwork Dimensions: 10" high x 8" wide   Additional Images:    Adjudicate Artwork

  • Eye Am Alaska

      Title of Art Piece: Eye Am Alaska Category: Painting Student/Artist’s Name: Claire Schneider School: Juneau Douglas High School Grade: 12th Artist Statement: Eye am Alaska reflects my connection to the wildlife and landscapes that shape my identity, using three distinct animal eyes to represent the diversity, resilience, and spirit of the place I call home. Each eye captures a different way of seeing the world—ocean, forest, and land—mirroring the environments that define Alaska’s character and my own experiences growing up here. By focusing on close‑up detail and bold color, I wanted to show how every creature carries a story, and how those stories overlap with my own sense of belonging. This piece is both a tribute to the animals that surround us and a…

  • Sítʼ Aantʼaakú

    Title of Art Piece: Sítʼ Aantʼaakú Category: Painting Student/Artist’s Name: Riley Soboleff School: Juneau-Douglas Grade: 11th Artist Statement: Sítʼ Aantʼaakú is an interpretation of the Mendenhall Glacier, exploring the connections among Alaskan elements. The mix of realistic and abstract forms demonstrates the unique quality of the Alaskan landscape. The Indigenous element of formline represents the importance of the generations before us (melted glacial water below), the present (the glacier), and future generations (the formline in the sky). The plants at the bottom of the art piece are all species native to the Juneau region, many of them associated with Indigenous practices and traditions. The plants from left to right are: devil’s club (s’áxt’), fiddlehead fern (K’wálx), Alaska blueberry (kanatʼá), twisted stalk watermelon berry (tleikw kahínti),…

  • Dysmorphia

      Title of Art Piece: Dysmorphia Category: Painting Student/Artist’s Name: Madelyn McCain School: North Pole High School Grade: 11th Artist Statement: noun- 1. a mental condition characterized by extreme preoccupation with self-perceived defects in the appearance of the body; body dysmorphic disorder. This painting is part of a series exploring phobias Artwork Dimensions: 10 Inches High X 8 Inches Wide   Additional Images:    Adjudicate Artwork

  • Roe Hunting

      Title of Art Piece: Roe Hunting Category: Painting Student/Artist’s Name: Zoey Lam School: Juneau Douglas High School Grade: 12th Artist Statement: This is a painting that will hang at our local salmon hatchery this summer. It is hard enough for these salmon to fight their way upstream to spawn without the Dolly Varden inhaling the eggs as soon as they are laid in their protective rock layer. It is a tough life cycle. Artwork Dimensions: 12 inches wide x 12 inches high   Additional Images:    Adjudicate Artwork

  • To Those In My Universe

      Title of Art Piece: “To Those In My Universe” Category: Painting Student/Artist’s Name: Zoe Mauro School: Eagle River High School Grade: 11th Artist Statement: This painting is based off of a thought I believed when I was little. I believed that every time a new person is introduced into your life or you bond with someone, it forms this invisible string from them to your heart. While at the point I came up with this theory it was very vague and childish, I realize now that I wasn’t exactly wrong. Every person you have ever interacted with has shaped your life in some way. Even if it was for 10 minutes or 10 years, that is an experience that is built into the story…