Freshman Joy Kim was recognized for her exemplary achievement in visual arts by earning a Gold Seal in VASE’s annual competition.

“It’s kind of hard to put into words since I definitely was not expecting my piece to advance so far,” Kim said. “Even getting to State VASE was a surprise for me, and I was obviously super happy and excited but also glad that people saw the significance of the piece on a personal and community level. Overall, participating in the competition was a great learning experience for me as a person and as an art student. This was my first high school VASE competition, since I am a freshman, and I’m so glad and thankful that I was able to receive such positive feedback.”

Kim’s entry was a mixed-media painting on paper, utilizing acrylics and colored pencils. 

“The current situation that we are living through was the main source of inspiration for my piece,” she said. “Oftentimes we may feel that we hide our genuine emotions behind a different ‘mask’, in an attempt to hide our true feelings to those who may be looking on. Especially during a time of isolation and uncertainty, it is often hard to put a label on these complex emotions. I wanted to use a more literal interpretation of these masked emotions through symbolism that is appropriate in today’s setting. The girl putting on the mask is a symbol of those of us who cover up whatever they may be feeling with something simpler, although emotions are not something that can often be labeled clearly.”

Other young artists, such as sophomore Riley Opiela and freshman Mauli Karapurkar also submitted pieces into the competition. 

“Even though I did not win anything, I still think this was a positive experience,” Opiela said. “My piece was on depression and losing your own identity. I represented that concept by painting my face, but it’s features are melting down the page. Through this project, I discovered that many paintings may have deeper meanings than what you think.”

Students were offered a variety of different formats and materials to utilize, as the submissions were open to any form of art entry. 

“I was inspired by other artists that I had seen use unordinary colors to bring their artwork to life,” Karapurkar said. “I wanted to replicate that with my own piece, which depicts an image of a person smiling with braces that I used colored pencils and gold leafing to create.”