Little Hawkeye Conference Art

All Conference Art Students

All conference artists are nominated and endorsed by the participating art teachers. 

Vianna Castillo - Newton High School

My art is important because it gives me a chance to contribute and connect.  As an artist, I am someone who is simply trying to build an environment of understanding and empathy through my artistic abilities.  I will be attending Kansas City Art Institute this fall in order to pursue a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Illustration and Entrepreneurial studies.  My degree will further my education in fine arts and teach me to market myself for becoming a part of the entertainment industry and for my own personal artistic endeavors.  I have learned to take art as an opportunity to grow and flourish in life. No matter how much I think I know, how many art classes I take, or how many anatomy studies I do, art always finds something new to teach me. I’m always learning more about myself and what art means to me. Whether that be through challenging myself with a new media of art or learning more about a form of media I have been using for years. 

Abigail Beal - Pella high school

Art has always been a part of my life. I got my first sketchbook and pack of crayons for my 6th birthday, and I've been drawing ever since. This year I've enjoyed my time as an, quote, assistant art teacher, and it has led me to major in art and education at Wartburg this fall. With each of my pieces, I studied different techniques of art this year. The portrait was my first colored pencil piece, done alongside a watercolor painting of the same subject as a study of undertones. The ink was done to practice Renaissance style sketching and crosshatching, and the Over the Garden Wall painting was done to study monochromatic palettes and glazing techniques. I enjoyed experimenting  with so many mediums and styles, and my skills and artist repertoire, so to speak, have grown immensely.

Lydia Vos- Pella high school

My name is Lydia Vos, and I am a Junior at Pella high school. I currently enjoy sports such as track and cross country, and I busy myself with teaching piano to my thirty-six piano students each week! I have always enjoyed art, especially painting with acrylics. I mostly enjoy painting people and portraits, but I’ve been challenging myself lately with landscapes, still life paintings, and other projects. 

My first painting, the “Fiery Flower” is of a tulip, and it is inspired by a picture I saw of a tulip on a solid black background. I chose to present this painting because I love how the black background allows the full focus and focal point to be the tulip and how it emphasizes its form. 

My second painting, “The Cherry Bowl” is one of my most recent paintings, and one of the still life paintings I challenged myself with. I am very pleased with the many textures and surfaces shown and how they all work together to create a pleasing composition. The black background in this painting also encourages a bold focus on the forms and colors of the Cherries, the bowl, and the folds and patterns of the fabric. 

My third and final painting is the “Sun Through the Sundial”. I chose to present this painting because I really liked the stunning colors and textures. It was a challenge for me to paint all of the textures and allowed me to experiment with different brushstrokes. 

Art allows me to better enjoy and put on display God’s handiwork in creation and the beautiful people and things I see in my life. Art can be used as a way to express many different ideas, emotions, and experiences, but to me, art is a way to make people happy and to point back to the One who created the things we see and the things we choose to call art. I am excited to continue creating and improving my love for art and my artistic abilities. 

Chloe Martin -Norwalk high school

Keara Arnold - Norwalk high school

Teddi Karnes - Norwalk high school

Keira Stine - DCG high school

      Art comes in many different shapes and forms, and this is why art is such a big part of my life. To me, art is a method of expressing one’s self. It is a way to show others the world you live in, and helps influence new perspectives. If used properly it is no longer a pretty thing to look at, but instead a statement of ones feelings or beliefs on a topic of choice. 

     Without art there would be nothing special, the world would just be a blank canvas, and not a polar bear in a snowstorm way, but in a boring, no creativity kind of way. Without art, there would be no music, no architecture, and no color to break up the bland. This is why art is so important, not only to me, but to the world as a whole. These are just a few of the many reasons why I love to make art and why in the future, I plan to continue to develop my skills to become a better artist.

Katie Harryman - DCG high school

 Art means so much to me. Whether it’s doodling on my paper in class or wandering around an art museum for hours on end, I love art. Art is such a cool thing that allows for creative expression and it takes so many forms.

Next year I plan to study interactive media or graphic design along with computer information systems in hopes of becoming a web designer. I love seeing how art and design can be applied to technology to make things more interesting, cohesive, and beautiful. I am excited to learn more about art and design as I pursue a degree and eventually a career in the web design field. I also hope to do some miscellaneous art projects in the future because it brings me joy and I love working on different things.

I love art because it can be so many things. It can show emotion or ideas, be ugly or beautiful, or tell a story. The possiblilities are quite literally endless and I love that about art. 

Kylee Albright - DCG high school

Art is vital to life, it plays a role in each of our lives and impacts how we think, feel, and act. Through art, we are able to convey messages to those who view it. While art always has an intended message, the reception of the art is uniquely individual and can be interpreted in an infinite amount of ways. Individual opinion and interpretation is what makes art special, in no other field can two view a piece and come away with completely different meanings. 

Likewise, for many, art holds importance because it is an emotional outlet. With art, you are able to channel and convey your thoughts and feelings into a tangible and profound work that has value to you. Even the simplest forms of art, like coloring, can be a beneficial and calming outlet. Additionally, those who create their own art can feel pride and find joy in what they created, therefore transforming their negative emotions into positive ones. Although art can be an emotional process for some, it can just as easily be done simply because it piques your interest or you find it fun. Art allows you to be creative, create comical pieces, or make something just because you can. There are no rules to what you can and can’t do. Whether you end up liking the result or not, every time you make art you’re learning something new, you’re improving your skills, and you’re growing as both a person and an artist. 

Due to the fact that art comes in many mediums, it surrounds our daily lives. Art is incredibly versatile and as a result, inspiration can come from anywhere. For many of my projects, I like to find inspiration from within my own life and interests. Most notably, I like to create works inspired by nature. I’ve created a clay vase inspired by Iowa nature, featuring native plants and wildlife. Similarly, I made a charcoal landscape of a mountain range and the valley surrounding it, which was inspired by a vacation to Yellowstone and the natural beauty I was able to see there.

Payton Snyder -Oskaloosa

I have always been one to have ideas that are at least somewhat difficult to articulate verbally. This is why I have always turned to art as a way to express both my emotions and my concepts. It has been something that has been with me for practically my entire life and has only become more prevalent in what I do as I continue to grow as a person, especially now as I soon go on to study Graphic Design in college!

Ash Donoway -Oskaloosa

Art is a reflection of myself in that moment. There is nothing I could say that my drawings haven’t said more eloquently. My art is the only constant I have ever known. There is no aspect of my life that has not been affected in some way by it. Like dreaming, it’s how I process the world around me. I can flip through old sketchbooks and tell exactly what I was feeling when I drew something, no matter how long ago I drew it. If my drawings were my thoughts, I would speak through my paints. 

Skye Isley -Oskaloosa

Essay

mcKenna Chada - Indianola

Essay

ENESSA ILNITSKY - INDIANOLA

Essay

Deja Tucker - Grinnell High school

I've grown by experimenting with things i'm both uncomfortable with, as well as things i find comfort in. Finding my own balance has helped me grow as an artist and expand my work both in the classroom, as well as independently. Believe it or not, most learning in the creative mind doesn't come from any kind of notes or study. Typically it has more to do with your genuine interpretation of observations, and that has been the most thrilling thing to discover. Growth isn’t always shown through the work you put out, rather a mentality you hold over the work itself.

Max Deitrich - Grinnell High school

The Folly of Maxwell Deitrich

In this particular self-portrait, I combined various photographs of myself and other pictures which I took to create an “explosion” of my mind. This is represented through a foggy street, skeletons, a clock shaped into a saw blade, and a picture of myself looking very fearful. This is all emitting from my neck, on a body in which I am holding my head.  Despite the particularity and morbidness of the above description, I feel as if this photo is a very accurate representation of myself, and my general creativity. Many of the time, much of my art is focused on the absurd, and generally disturbing. After I had combined all the photos in a photo editing program, I added details (such as blood on my decapitated head) and a general filter to exemplify contrast and general colors. My goal for this artwork was to try and visually define what my art is all about and in that area, I feel as though I reached that goal. While creating this artwork I very much learned that my sense of creativity is very one sided, and that many other people are quote “disturbed” by it. I take these comments as compliments. Nevertheless moving forward this portrait will be an important milestone for me, and a way of showing what I am “for” and capable of.