<\/a>“Isolation” by Jojo Griggs won a Gold Key and was nominated for an American Vision Award in Alaska’s Scholastic art competition. (Courtesy art | Heather Ridgway)<\/p><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
“I’ve always been drawn to people’s faces because they can express so much in so many different ways. For this piece in particular, I was playing with contrast and how it can change the emotion portrayed in the painting,” Griggs said. ”I was inspired by black and white chiaroscuro portraits from the sixties. They portray drama and beauty very well and I was immediately drawn to them.”<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t
Art comes in many forms. Claire Scott, another JDHS student, won a Gold Key and a National Gold Medal for her comic, ‘Wild Zest.”<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t
[Great Scott! This 16 year old published her second graphic novel<\/a>]<\/ins><\/p>\n\t\t\t\t “My biggest inspirations for ‘The Wild Zest’ (National Gold Medal in Comic Art) were classic Western stories, and shows like ‘Hell’s Kitchen’ and ‘Master Chef,’” Scott said. “The idea of Gordon Ramsay being a time traveler was silly enough for me to want to make a comic out of it.”<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t Cierra Campbell, a Thunder Mountain High School student, won Alaska’s American Vision Award at the national level for her art. Campbell, Scott and Dimond High School student Malia Main were invited to New York City for the awards ceremony, but that was canceled because of the coronavirus.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t “Cabin Fever” by Altain Soltys-Gray received an honorable mention in Alaska’s Scholastic art competition. (Courtesy art | Heather Ridgway)<\/p><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t The strongest pieces, Ridgway said, were ones that had themes or concepts that spoke to judges during a particularly fraught time as the coronavirus isolates and concerns many people.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t “I wouldn’t say my art is relevant to what’s going on right now, especially since I made most of it last year, but of course, artistic interpretation is always up to the viewer,” Scott said. “Outside of my own art, I’d say that more people at this time are looking for entertainment and art seems to be filling that role more than ever.”<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t Celia Wheeler of JDHS and Abigail Sparks and Alain Soltys-Gray of TMHS were also awarded for their creations. There were more than 3,000 entries for Alaska alone, Ridgway said.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t<\/a>