Overwhelming Shapes
CARRIGAN M.
This piece is a representation of how I feel when I’m overwhelmed.

I wanted to continue the theme of blue. I see the colour blue as me, not because of the sadness but because the colour has been a constant aspect of who I am since I was little. This representation of myself and the shapes around the person shows how crowded this feeling of overstimulation can get. The white around the person represents fuzzy feelings of being overwhelmed as well as a sort of visualization of noise.

Define Feminine
PAIGE M.
This is an abstract artwork that conveys the longing desire to possess the idealized body type that society has deemed feminine.

In this piece, areas of colour are scattered around the statue of a woman’s body, illustrating that imperfections are what make us unique and ultimately define true femininity. The position in which I painted the woman was made with the intent to exemplify a sense of assertion and confidence.

The Origin
JULIA P.
The name of this sculpture captures the meaning of this piece because this was the first finished piece, and it also links all the pieces together.

The bottom of the lantern is where I took inspiration from the traditional wells of China, which is also a representation of my heritage. The length of the wire that connects the well and the lantern is a representation of my past. The piece finishes off with the lantern that shines light into all the other pieces, which represents who I am today.

Takeover
ADEN M.
This is a clay bust of a person, but with technological modifications.

The aim of this piece was to show how the person has been overcome by technology, altering them. I did this because I see how connected people are to their devices. Hence, I tried to exaggerate that. I added wires in areas where the phone seemed to glitch to show how perhaps the human inside was trying to fight back against the change.

Sugar Assault
GORDON B.
This digital space attempts to express the complex emotion of desire. The digital painting illustrates a series of giant gummy bears invading a city. The gummy bear’s invading the city is a metaphor for the desire for sweets, invading and taking over one’s mind. This piece is shown as a series of three digital paintings to illustrate the exponential growth of desire and sweets. The mangled city is a metaphor for how one’s mind is destroyed by this desire.

Denial is Not a River in Egypt
ALISHA G.
This piece was meant to represent people actively choosing to ignore issues that are right in front of them.

Most people are aware and know how horrible animal cruelty is, yet they do absolutely nothing to help this issue as it’s too much of an inconvenience for them. The open eyes show awareness and not ignorance, but the hands covering the ears speak to the personal choice to ignore problems. 

The Greatest of All Time
SAM M.
I enjoy playing soccer as it helps me relax and takes my mind off of things.

I have been a fan of Ronaldo since I was ten and I think he is considered the greatest soccer player of all time. The acronym for the greatest of all time is G.O.A.T., which is an animal. I decided to paint Ronaldo but replace his head with a goat’s head. The pose in the painting is his iconic celebration.

Stuntin’ Like My Grandma
MAYA H.
I wanted to explore the relationship between colour and value.

I found a black and white portrait of my grandma when she was in her 20’s and recreated it in colour. I chose the bright colour palette to show that if the values match up in black and white, they should work in any colour. I like this photo because it shows my grandma when she was close in age to me, and I find myself relating to this younger version of her.

Wave
ISABELLA Z.
This piece combines a hawk and a wave. Bringing together opposite elements, air and sea, it represents the sky falling on you and the waves crashing in on you, creating a suffocating feeling.

It symbolizes the anxiety you feel when encountering situations or people who are overbearing, leaving you no room to breathe. This piece was inspired by The Great Wave of Kanagawa by Hokusal. I took the feeling of the large wave swallowing a tiny shop and applied the same atmosphere to this piece.

Purity
GLORIA L.
This sculpture expresses and communicates the purity of a mother’s love for her newborn child.

Relationships might be complicated at times, but a mother and her child will always be innocent and attached. The way the mother is looking down at her child, and the child looking back at her, depicts their pure relationship. The way the sculpture is connecting the two also represents the need for each other, which unites them.

Metamorphosis
AMY W.
This artwork ties in my two main concepts of people and nature.

I wanted to show a passage of time through the moss and mushrooms growing around the sculptures. I also hoped that the art piece could be a metaphor for revealing one’s true personality, shown through the bright colours and peeling back of the sculpture. This piece also speaks to people who have trouble opening up to others, but as time passes, they slowly open up and show their true personality.

The Sky Painter
STEVEN W.
All the world’s crises between 2020 to 2022 greatly affected every person’s emotions.

In this photo, the symbolism of painting the sky revealed the desire of me erasing all negativities. The various children’s drawing-like scribbles in the sky illustrate the view of children throughout these times. The bold text in red emphasizes the theme and title of each crisis. Overall, I used symbolism and imagery to generate a surrealistic setting of “painting the sky” to express the wish of peace.

I See Your True Colours
VERONICA L.
This piece is an acrylic painting and I chose to take both a realistic and abstract approach to it.

I wanted to show the bond and closeness humans and horses can share. I originally captured this moment by accident, taking a video of myself with my horse when I was having a rough day. I was in her stall with her and she nudged my shoulder, when I turned to her she placed her head over my shoulder and held me against her chest. This moment caught me off guard because regardless of the communication barrier between us, in that moment she just knew I needed her. She truly sees me for who I am and loves me regardless of anything else.

Manipulation
COOPER J.
The concept behind this piece was to display what it may feel like trapped and stuck in a negative and unhappy relationship.

My use of displaying this through brains was to symbolize our minds and how we react and feel. The mesh and clay demon arms symbolize the negative and toxic side of a relationship and how it’s hard to let go and choose to leave. I used clay to create the three brains as it helped