The Blue and White encouraged students to showcase their talents and send in any creative writing or artwork. As you scroll through you will take a wonderful trip down a collection of magnificent masterpieces, as well as hear from the artists themselves. The amazing artists of these pieces include Carter Braun, Anna Smith, Kate Spencer, Vincent Brent, and Leucius Lyke. If you too are an artist or writer and are interested in being published in a future article, please email Mrs. Houvouras with your artwork, 480, and name. [email protected]

PHOTOGRAPHY:

Carter Braun (1st place in photography at Beta State Convention)

I got into photography when I took Journalism in 9th grade, and I found out I really enjoyed taking photos. I wasn’t very good, but I kept practicing for the last few years and have been inspired to pursue photography more thanks to photographers I see on social media. This particular photo didn’t take very long to set up. I just found a very good angle in the perfect lighting conditions that made for a visually interesting shot. I usually don’t take my photos with any theme or message in mind; I just let the content of the photos speak for itself. With all of my art, I tend to not get caught up in meaning or making things look “correct,” I just mess around with the tools I have and try to make something interesting.

DIGITAL ART:

Anna Smith

I enjoy painting and doing digital art, which is what I have here. Other than that, I like reading and writing. When I was really young, my family would take me to art galleries. I really got interested in art by looking at paintings and things like that. [I got into digital art] mostly through YouTube videos and art teachers that introduced it to me. I began working with it, and really liked it. I recommend Procreate. It’s a pretty cheap program, it’s only $10 one time, and the basic package is really good. You can always buy [add-ons or features] from other people to improve it. 

A World Away

A World Away took about 20 hours. This piece is about daydreaming in general, and how during school I’m always in a different place. I wanted to show through the window what daydreaming felt and looked like. The grayscale part of the desk shows how boring school is versus the abstraction of daydreaming. I was my own muse. I was trying to evoke the emotion of mystery and wistfulness of what you could be doing, or what you want to do in the future, versus what you have grounded in reality right now.

Waypoint 

Waypoint took about 30 hours. This piece was supposed to symbolize a place between life and death with roads going through it. Every culture and religion has a different idea of what anything would look like after death. I wanted it to fit into no actual religion, but to fit into what my personal idea of a waypoint between life and death would look like. It would be very abstracted and, I personally think, very colorful but at the same time very dark and mysterious because no one truly knows what that looks like. [I’m trying to evoke,] in a weird way, a calm of knowing there’s something pretty on the other side. And the calmness that says you have a road, and even if you don’t know where you’re going, it’s okay because the journey is fine.

ILLUSTRATION:

Kate Spencer

I’m a Junior and I really like to do illustration and draw pretty girls and a bunch of flowers. I started drawing when I was in elementary school and went from there. I got really serious after I got into animations on YouTube.

Asteria

This piece took probably 3 hours in a time span of 2 to 3 days in each class. It symbolizes the Greek goddess of stars, Asteria, and is supposed to envision what she looks like. I referenced back to how the Greek goddess looked. Asteria was my muse. As I was thinking about how my whole portfolio is about stars, the different meanings of the word star, I thought to myself “oh, let me do something about a Greek goddess of stars.” [The emotion I am trying to evoke] is a feeling of serenity and peace, but also, this mystical “Wow, that’s crazy.”

SHORT STORY:

Vincent Brent

I’ve just always admired beautifully told stories and the deep emotion that can be told from them. I feel writing is one of the most expressive arts. For muses, I’d have to say I get inspired by writers like Mary Shelley and Bram Stoker. I have an immense love for Victorian gothic stories. It took just a few days. I have many ideas but can almost never find the motivation. I really didn’t think of much of a message, but it’s meant to be someone mourning the loss of their lover due to suicide. If you want a message, I guess it’s to appreciate your loved ones, and help people before you lose them. An emotion I’d like to evoke is perhaps somberness as it builds up to the end.

Here is the story:

I have a lover. I love him oh so dearly. But he loves another much more dearer than I. I kiss his hand as he kisses the other’s, his eyes just barely giving me a glance. Many a time have I seen him hold them in his embrace, as I embraced him. He’s tried to stay with them only to be held back by the tethers of his home. But this time, he’s cut the rope and ran away with them. I don’t think he’ll come back to me. He has a lover who he loves oh so dearly. And their name is Death.

POEM:

Leucius Lyke

My favorite things to do are music, art, and writing. I started reading things from Edgar Allan Poe during classes, especially my 8th grade year. Then, I got more into reading things like Shakespeare and it sort of inspired me to [write poetry.] I also got into [poetry] because I had a lot of feelings in my head that I could produce. 

This poem took me originally 30 minutes because I wrote it as a short story and then condensed it into a line poem which took an additional 15 minutes. This symbolizes how no matter what flaws you have and no matter how insecure you feel about them; it’s just what makes you special. I kind of like the idea of using a childish metaphor of sorts with a flower and a bee.I’m trying to make everyone feel sort of special in their own skin when they read it. I also want them to feel kind of inspired to be more of themselves around other people.

The Flower and The bee

“They love me..”

“They love me not..”

“They need me..”

“They need me not..”

And her Petals flutter down,

Those of a flower,

 once blooming,

And lively, pure beauty.

But now she weeps,

For her petals are torn,

Tattered and tarnished,

By others flowers thorns.

Her leaf does wipe her tears,

For more soon appear.

And she lay in the grass to wonder,

“Will I ever be loved?”

Only then, as she cried,

Did a bee come passing by.

He stopped and asked,

“Are you alright?”

She covered her face with her leaves,

And hid from Mr. Bee.

“Go away! I am unsightly”

She sniffles slightly.

The bee did move her leaves,

And gaze at her face,

“You’re nothing but lovely!”

“Pure beauty, pure grace!”

“My lack of petals, does not deter you?”

She wondered, so weary.

“of course not! How unique you are!”

“The loveliest, among dreary!”

The bee did wipe her tears,

And chase away her fears.

For he had simply told,

“Who wants to be like everyone else?”

“That’s just getting old!”