Huntington High School’s artists shined at this year’s Suffolk County Art Leaders Association Showcase at Old Babylon Town Hall, capturing the respect of a panel of seasoned and discerning judges.
The exhibition and competition is an annual event held in partnership with the Babylon Citizens Council on the Arts. Top student-artists from across the county were invited to submit artwork in categories ranging from drawing, painting, 3D and photography to mixed media, digital media and scholarship divisions.
Seven of Huntington High School’s top artists displayed works of art in the highly regarded show with three of the teenagers garnering coveted awards. The students are studying with teachers Kasmira Mohanty and Kristin Singer.
Senior Emily Ramirez Bravo won the Best in Show Award at this year’s showcase for her exceptional digital painting that measured 14 inches by 11 inches and was titled “Nature’s Persistence.”
Senior Niurca Chabla Leon claimed the Babylon Citizens Council on the Arts Choice Award in the Senior Scholarship category for a series of three remarkable Conté crayon and charcoal drawings that measured either 18 inches by 12 inches or 24 inches by 12 inches, respectively.
Senior Grace Kenny earned an Honorable Mention Award for her magnificent oil painting that measured 12 inches by 12 inches and was titled “Rose Colored Glasses.”
Several other Huntington High School artists displayed work, including sophomore Emma Waters (“Mind’s Eye” which measured 11 inches by 19 inches and was in the Mixed Media category); junior Tyler Basil (“Floral Delight” which measured 14 inches by 11 inches and was in the Digital Media category); senior Taylor Case (“Reflective Soul” which is a Mixed Media piece that was created using color pencil, solvent transfer and gold leaf and measured 14 inches by 11 inches; and senior Sasha Koulakova (“Tea for Two” which measured 10 inches by 10 inches and is a splendid digital painting.
Due to COVID-19 restrictions, this year’s SCALA artwork is exhibited in a virtual format. To view the entire show, click on this link: https://www.scalaart.org and then scroll down and click on the image for SCALA Art Showcase 2021.
Ms. Ramirez Bravo’s award-winning piece was accompanied by the following artist’s statement, which details the inspiration and motivation behind her artwork:
“When I first saw ‘Same Battles, Same Victims’ by Denise Jones Adler, I was inspired by the tree and flowers winding around the person in the artwork. Influenced by her use of organic materials the notion of Mother Nature, life and death came to mind. To visually depict these concepts I began by substituting the top portion of my ‘Mother Nature’s’ head with the skull of a bull; the bull skull being a symbol of strength balanced by female wisdom. It also symbolizes the push and pull between life and death. The tree sprouting from the skull is representative of life arising from the remains of the departed. The flora and fauna winding around the figure’s legs reminded me of how a snake maneuvers. The snake resting around the neck of ‘Mother Nature’ suggests how life is filled with the unexpected and if provoked the snake could strike, poisoning her. The snake also represents how we flourish only at the mercy of nature.
“My artwork was created using Photoshop. I collaged and melded together different themes from nature. Finding the right elements to fuse together was more difficult than I had anticipated. Once I felt I had the right combination, I created an underpainting, then layered on top of my underpainting by using a drawing tablet and various brushes to suggest the look and feel of a traditional oil painting. I intentionally chose to mute the color palette throughout the work to bring an air of nostalgia and enhance the dreamlike/surrealist qualities I wished to achieve in the work.”
