Visual Arts

Entries and artist statements in the Visual Arts category for the 2023 Reflections contest sponsored by Adams Middle School PTSA. The entry that receives the Award of Excellence advances to the next round.

Special Artist Division

Faceless Angels

by Michael Denson, 8th grade

This textured angel with feather wings represents hope, and is an example of the angels in our world who live among us. The regular people who choose to do good and bring peace and faith to humanity. I painted the background blue because it represents inspiration and faith. The gold accents represent generosity. The purple feathers, heart, and border represent peace and compassion. The turquoise feathers represent tranquillity and protection. The white faceless angel represents purity. I am hopeful because each color represents exactly how these excellent angels treat others

Award of Excellence

Award of Excellence - Redondo Beach Council PTA

Award of Merit - Thirty-Third District PTA

Entry #: VA-SA-01Dimensions - 16 x 20 in. Canvas painting

Middle School Division

FINDING MY HOPE THROUGH DARKNESS

by Morgan Mayeda, 8th grade

When voices of doubt cloud your mind, you question the purpose you’re destined to find. Seek solace within, trust your inner voice, for it holds wisdom, the power of choice. When tears fall like rain, and sadness fills your heart, release the pain inside, let them be your guide. For within each teardrop, lies another story of healing and a way to restart. When the world seems against you, and hope feels lost, remember every drop that falls, a seed of hope grows within your heart. As the tears dry, embrace the hope that's nurtured within your heart.

Award of Excellence

Award of Merit - Redondo Beach Council PTA

Entry #: VA-MS-12Dimensions - 18x24. Painting on canvas. Acrylic Paint, Alcohol ink, India ink, Gesso, and, Watercolor paint.

No Jobs No Hope

by Chloe Yoo, 7th grade

This artwork shows how important jobs are to this world. If there were no jobs in the world, no one will be optimistic. This piece shows that if there are no jobs there is no hope. I hope that the varieties of jobs that exist in this world will bring hope to the new generation, and people who are building up their hope.

Award of Merit

Entry #: VA-MS-03Dimensions - 15*12 inches

I’m Hopeful For Lifelong Friendship

by Noelle Hoang, 8th grade

Moving schools isn’t something easy to go through, especially if it means leaving your friends and having to make new ones. Everyone needs friends in life including me which is why this change makes such a big impact on my life. My friends are always there for me when I need them and I can always trust them to make my life so much more exciting. So, moving forward I hope that I can keep new and old friends forming a lifelong friendship.

Honorable Mention

Entry #: VA-MS-01Dimensions - 14x17 in

We Can Make The World Brighter

by Mia Masse, 7th grade

My drawing is a picture of a woman looking up. I drew a wavy line on the paper and everything inside it is colored. This represents our hope for the world. Everything out of the wavy line is black and white and this is our world. Black and white are still colors but the just aren't bright. My hope is that together we can brighten the world. When I say brighten the world I mean make it better, happier. In our world, there are so many problems but together we CAN make a difference and make it better

Honorable Mention

Entry #: VA-MS-02Dimensions - It is done on an 8.5x11 inch piece of card stock paper. I did it in pencil, colored pencil, and alcohol markers.

Hope is the Light in the Dark

by Bailey Shekar, 8th grade

I am hopeful because I know that I can be the hope for others. Even when it seems dark and hopeless, I want to be the light in the darkness that can bring hope to whoever sees it. When I can do that, when I can light up the world for others, that's when I am my most hopeful.

Honorable Mention

Entry #: VA-MS-04Dimensions - 8" x 8" inches, digital art made with Ibis X on iPhone

The Point of View

by Yumie Lee, 8th grade

I am hopeful because many people around the world are taking action into trying to be as understanding and empathetic as possible. Having empathy for one another can make a huge difference and can also prevent injustice. It also helps build healthy and strong relationships instead of getting into upsetting disagreements. Even though many people suffer from hard things, just having someone to be there for you makes everything easier. This makes me hopeful because many are trying to fix what the world needs fixing.

Honorable Mention

Entry #: VA-MS-05Dimensions - 17x14 inches, color pencil and pencil on paper

We're all One

by Milabelle Chang, 6th grade

This year’s Reflection topic, I am Hopeful because…, inspired me to make this art piece, titled “We’re all One”. This artwork shows me alongside some of my LGBTQ+ friends. I created this piece to tell people about the mistreatment that LGBTQ+ individuals face, both in the past and present. I hope for a future where we will all be able to go outside comfortably and not have to worry about being judged or bullied. No one should be judged based on their race or gender identity, as "We're all One."

Honorable Mention

Entry #: VA-MS-10Dimensions - 13.114" by 11.038" (1713 by 1457 pixels) with Procreate on iPad

The Longing

by Ziva Jansen, 7th grade

My work relates to the theme because it shows different people who showed their voice differently. They expressed themselves with their voice in different form and to me, that’s what the theme means.

Honorable Mention

Entry #: VA-MS-11Dimensions - Acrylic Paint - canvas size approximately - 11 X 18

A Hopeful Fish

by Maxim Varshavsky, 6th grade

...I named my painting “A Hopeful Fish”. Commercial fishing is the reason why some fish species are going towards extinction. There is a not-so-lucky fish on one side, but on the other side is a lucky fish, happy to be alive. Unfortunately, in the future, you might not even see fish around! But there is hope! Many people are discovering the truth about commercial fishing and going vegan. Though you can't save the world this minute, do what you can to help save it for the future.

Honorable Mention

Entry #: VA-MS-13Dimensions - 16x20 Visual Arts Acrylic/mixed media

I have a dream because I have a dream.

by Minjoo (Kate) Park, 7th grade

"I am hopeful because I have a dream.

I am currently a clarinet learner. Ever since I joined a band at Adams, I fell in love with music. Whenever I make squeaking sounds, I hope a dragon comes out and kills all the bad sound!

Practicing is not easy but I am hopeful because I have a dream. Someday I will play my clarinet at a beautiful concert hall."

Honorable Mention

Entry #:VA-MS-17Dimensions -

The Escape of Hope

by Ayla Dowdell, 8th grade

Falling into a body of water, far in the depths of a gaping pool, the girl depicted here is submerged, unable to breathe and move. It symbolizes the isolation she feels in her day to day life. Cautiously reaching her hand towards the surface, she wants to escape, but is uncertain whether or not it’s a possibility. In her eyes, amid the dark, bottomless pool of water, light begins to shine through. Is it the end? Or it is just the beginning of her escape with hope?

Honorable Mention

Entry #: VA-MS-19Dimensions - Oil Paint on canvas - 28 in x 22 in

Statues of Hope

by Sophia Caravella, 6th grade

The topic "I am hopeful because" inspired me because there are a lot of things I am hopeful about, and four of them are Knowledge, Peace, the Beauty of Nature, and your Family Tree. I symbolized these things by making them books, a peace sign, a sunset, and a tree with its roots.

Entry #: VA-MS-06Dimensions - 8 1/2 in. by 11 in. - Colored pencils

I am hopeful because I have a vision!

by Alyssa Kim, 6th grade

I am hopeful because I have a vision. My vision is that the world will be a happy place where there is no pollution and no trash. This is a place where there is no hate and everyone gets along. My vision can happen if everyone stops fighting, stops littering, stops polluting and works together. We can make this world a better place.

Entry #: VA-MS-07Dimensions - 9x12 inches, used water color and color pencils

Natural Beauty

by Evie Hurley, 7th grade

This painting there is Hidden Beauty and the hidden beauty is how mother earth gives us these beautiful things of nature to admire and marvel at.

Entry #: VA-MS-08Dimensions - 22x28 Acrylic Canvas

PR/Writer

by Tess Hawkins, 7th grade

My work is a collage of newspapers. I chose to include clippings of good and bad events using words and phrases like 'hope', 'forgive' and 'death'. This connects to my main message, that we can change and do better, because my hope is to eliminate all the bad news, or most of it at least, and to know I'm living on a safer planet. Seeing good news makes me hopeful and it motivates me to make more good news! I am hopeful because good news means we have made the world a better place.

Entry #: VA-MS-09Dimensions - 11" x 14" Mixed Media (newspaper and marker on canvas board)

Tree of Hope

by Debora De Leon Sosa, 6th grade

The Tree of Hope is a painting that represents the struggles and hardships that people go through their lives, that is what the swords in the tree represent, but it also shows how we can still grow from those hardships.

Entry #: VA-MS-14Dimensions - 17 in x 23 in - Acrylic Painting

Life; full of hope

by Amelia Lee, 7th grade

This piece of art shows the life cereal box. The box is a metaphor. In life there are many things to be hopeful for. This piece of art shows, music, family, peace, health, food, water, knowledge and nature. There are other things that are not shown like sports, dance, pets, and many other things. What is left that is not shown is still in the box and it is different for every person. Overall, the box is full of hope.

Entry #: VA-MS-15Dimensions - Visual arts- 7 1/2 x 8 1/2 inches

The World is Full of Magic

by Mary Kathryn Pointer, 6th grade

The prompt for the reflections art contest, ‘I am hopeful because…’ made many different possibilities take shape in my head. The final inspiration for the theme of this art challenge was that the world still has a lot of potential. That it may even have some form of magic in it. Dragons, my favorite mythical animal, are a huge thing for me, and they have always been associated with magic. My entry reflects that and the majestic look of it represents the potential of each and every person, who can make their own difference. That is the true magic.

Entry #: VA-MS-16Dimensions - 11" x 14" inches. Pastels and permanent markers on posterboard.

CLEAN THE WORLD WITH SUNSHINE!!!

by Abigail Foster, 6th grade

...I made this amazing and gorgeous painting, it is a symbol of hope and life. A sunflower represents hope, and hope is a part of life, a sunflower is a piece of wildlife. Picking up trash could help keep that beautiful sunflower alive.

Bees, sunflowers and any flower that's alive could help a bee hive get pollen and make it into honey without sunflowers there would be no honey. Thank you for listening and I hope you have a sunny day.

Entry #: VA-MS-18Dimensions - 20x16 inches, acrylic on canvas