IMAGES 2020: Spark in the Dark
Exhibitions
Welcome to the IMAGES 2020: A Spark in the Dark Exhibition
Welcome to the annual IMAGES exhibition of student work from the graduating class at Stouffville District Secondary School. This has been a different year for all of us, and our youth have felt the effects of the isolation and fear as much as anyone. But, amongst the anxiety and confusion there is a spark. Enjoy.
Exhibitions
Virtual Tour 2020
Click on the images to enlarge
Aldwin Jay Cabiles. "Pain of Blue in the Past". Acrylic on paper. 6” x 9”.
I painted a blue monochromatic bubonic medieval nurse, inspired by Pablo Picasso’s Blue Period, 1901 to 1904 because I can feel and see the pain of many people during The Black Death and even today’s Coronavirus pandemic. I want to share my sorrow through my artwork to all the people who have lost their loved ones and to all who have been affected by this virus. Do not embrace your grief alone. Find someone you love and trust to share your feelings, thoughts, and emotions. Always remember that you are not alone!
Aldwin Jay Cabiles. " A Quiet Place". Acrylic on canvas. 30” x 40”.
I painted a monochromatic blue painting using shades of blue, turquoise, white, black, and a little colour of green. I was inspired by Pablo Picasso’s Blue Period, 1901 to 1904 because I wanted to convey my experience during the pandemic of Coronavirus, just as Pablo Picasso conveyed his past life experiences in his paintings. Because of my quarantine Coronavirus experience, I learn the act of self-discovery as an individual who struggled to find my true identity. I asked myself so many times, “Who am I?” I discovered that I am a person who is very adaptable to any living situations and no matter how many challenges my life throws at me, I am able to continue my life as strong as I could be. I came to the conclusion that I am like a wildflower, no matter how hard you squeeze it down to the ground it will eventually grow back and thrive. Keep calm, keep living, and carry on!
Emilee Siljanoski. "A Change of Heart". Acrylic on canvas. 30” x 40”. For this painting I took inspiration from Picasso’s blue period and my own personal interest in clowns. I love using clowns in my artwork as they are an excellent representation of mood and emotion. I also just think they’re more interesting to paint then regular people and I can have a lot more fun with it.
Kirsten Tervelde. "The Watchers of Fear". Pencil on paper. 24” x 16”. This Piece was inspired by my own anxiety and how I feel as if I am being watched. My fears and my pain is constantly being judged which only seems to create more fear and pain. I have lived within circular motions all my life, a never ending cycle that cannot be stopped.
Ashley Chen. "Diving with Plastic". Digital.
22" x 16.5".
The overall theme of this piece is to shine a light on the state of the oceans and lakes, as seconds go by, waste is being constantly produced and polluting these waters. Endless plastic and chemicals polluting the water, and killing ocean life. I have used the elements of line, space, and value, which overall gives a sense of unity within the piece.
Kirsten Tervelde. "The Tricks of Light". Acrylic on canvas. 40” by 30”.
This Piece was also inspired by my own anxiety, I feel as if I cannot trust my own eyes to tell the full truth. I fear that as I look around I might be missing something important. In this art piece I portrayed this thought by showing a girl missing all of the fear and pain that is in herself.
Daniel Lee. "Wisps in the Masks". Acrylic on canvas. 30" x 40". This art piece was inspired by the traditional masks of Japan. I have personally had a great interest in Japanese culture or tradition and the Oni masks had really caught my eye when I had first seen them. I had found beauty in the symbolism and meaning of the masks and was inspired to paint a painting in the style of expressionism in order to portray them. The symbolism of Oni masks (protection) inspired me to paint a picture of these angry looking monsters for the concept of expressionism.
Zoe Davidson. "Opposites". Acrylic on canvas. 40" x 30". This painting is inspired by the modern art period of abstract expressionism, more specifically inspired by Jackson Pollock. To add something a little different to the painting I decided to add elements of hard edge throughout the artwork. These two techniques are typically opposites so I put them together to add the contrast between the different elements of the painting. I wanted to achieve the sense that everyone who looks at my painting will see a different meaning and make different connections within the piece.
Peter Fintelman. "Doolhof" (Dutch for Maze). Acrylic on canvas. 40” x 30”. The reason I chose De Stijl was due to my family's Dutch history, and my interest in architecture. The Painting has a hidden pattern within it that has a starting point that I would like to see if people could find. I used the first thoughts that came from my family and peers' minds about the composition and worked upon what they had said. There is more work put into this that meets the eye as each colour is separated to where they cannot touch their same colour. as well as when following the pattern correctly each colour will only touch a specific other colour after it opposed to before it.
Ainsley MacDonald. "Take a Trip". Acrylic on canvas. 30" x 40". I love paintings that require you to take a minute or more to understand what you are looking at. My art style is also classic “retro” black and white hard lines with pops of colour. I wanted to create something that while is only made up of lines, created something bigger with those lines. My brain is very analytical, black and white, so I like my art to represent myself in some way.
Erin Zeng. "The Sports Meet". Acrylic on canvas. 16.5" x 13". It was a sports meeting. It happened on a sunny day. Yellow cheerleaders were cheering the athletes around. This is an abstract expressionist painting inspired by a school sports meeting I attended.
Jade Morton. "Temporary Tranquility". Acrylic on canvas. 30” x 40”. I tried to captivate the short-lasting peace between betta fish as they are known to fight. I used soothing yet fun colours to demonstrate this within my piece. I wanted to use black as the background to make both of the fish pop and become the dominant feature of the painting. I was inspired by fauvism and fauvism artists like Henri Matisse. I wanted to captivate the moment before the madness which is undisturbed and still.
Evie Kozak-Holland. "Earth's Heartbeat". Natural findings; leaves, twigs, stones, flowers. 16" x 10". Earth unifies all life together. As a system, we cooperate and function in unison in order to stabilize ourselves. Birth, life, and death flows through everything. Without the balance of Earth we find the decay of all.
Ainsley MacDonald. "Ring of Fire". Leaves (environment). I created this wave during the fall to make good use of the bright warm tones of the leaves. I chose a wave because I liked the concept of a “Wave of Fire” and the contrast. I am a Pisces, a water sign, but I am also passionate. I always want my art to have a part of me represented the red for passion and the wave for water.
Daniel Lee. "Floral Arrangement". Flower petals and charred wood. This art piece was inspired by Goldsworthy and his sculptures made of objects found in nature. I had found a variety of flowers in my garden with a plethora of various colours and had arranged them around a thick stick I had come across. It looked normal from the outside but had an ashy, charred center where I had placed a longer flower. The piece represents how different colours can come together to make even a dead, burned piece of wood seem beautiful.
Evie Kozak-Holland. "Moss Bugs". Acrylic on canvas. 30" x 40". This whimsical forest scene portrays vibrant layered brushstrokes that create a magical sense of fairytale and curiosity. Drawing inspiration from earthy and childhood motifs, as well as the artist Aya Takano. The imagery inspires a feeling of youth nostalgia, and the sometimes lost, mystifying feelings that accompany it.
Tiffany Quang. "Inter-dimensional". Acrylic on canvas. 30" X 40". I was inspired by the game character design in league of legends. The character was Divine Sword Irelia. I used a reference of a real person and merged it with a fictional character to represent surrealism.
Crystal Ly. "Mother Earth". Pencil crayon on paper. 27" x 30". This drawing represents mother nature and how our earth is slowly changing due to global warming. The fire and water represent the outcomes if we do not take action; Mother Earth will either burn due to the forest fires or drown because of the melting ice caps. My artwork captured this because I wanted to bring awareness to the problems that are arising due to these issues.
Ethan Pitre. "Denver". Graphite on paper.
18” x 26”. My drawing was inspired by my love and passion for horses. I started horseback riding when I was eight and have always had an admiration and respect for the animals. They are very strong and beautiful whether they are performing athletes or in another setting like a field. I used my own horse named Denver as reference for my pencil drawing. The silhouettes and expressions were all based off of him and things I can remember over the past four years with him so far.
Zahra Mansuri. "The Religion of Peace". Pencil and Ink on paper. 30" x 20".
This drawing was created to show the beauty and peace of Islam. Islamaphobia is prevalent in Canada and other countries around the world due to the belief that it is a religion of violence and brutality. However, Islam teaches people peace and harmony and is not what the media makes it out to be. This drawing is a way for people to see that Islam truly is about peace.
Crystal Ly. "Strawberry Lemonade". Acrylic on canvas. 40" x 30". "Strawberry Lemonade" is a painting designated to the modern art period of photo-realism. My artwork was inspired by my love for honey and how throughout my childhood, honey had always been a part of my life. "Strawberry Lemonade" came to me because I wanted to incorporate strawberries along with the honey and I decided to add lemons to add to the warmth of the painting. The flowers are there to represent the innocence of childhood.
Erin Zeng. "Cat with Red Fish". Acrylic on canvas. 40" x 30". My inspiration and my idea came from Henri Matisse's painting of Cat with Redfish. What this painting gives me the deepest impression of is a warm and peaceful life. This is a Fauvist painting. This is my fantasy of the future room and the way of life. Because I like the company of cats.
Hailey Craven. "Lips". Acrylic on canvas. 40" x 30". While trying to choose a modern art period that inspired me, I came across a piece of pop art by Andy Warhol. I really enjoyed this artwork because of the vibrant colours and the randomness it had to it. I wanted to keep the theme colourful, fun, and bold. The meaning of the biting lip is the power behind facial expressions.
Aldwin Jay Cabiles. "Giant's Big Mug". Mixed media - cardboard and acrylic paint.
42 “ x 30”. This sculpture was inspired by Claes Oldenburg. When I was seven years old, I used to dream of what if giant people do exist and what our life would be like. I was a curious child and I always asked what-if questions. My childhood inspires me to sculpt a giant mug to recall my child's way of thinking and life when there were no heavy responsibilities and when I was free to spend my time on whatever I want. I also painted my sculpture with colourful paintings because being a curious child allowed me to have a bright and colourful childhood. I want parents to support and cheer their children to allow them to dream as broad as they can because every child (new generation) needs to have a golden childhood.
Erin Zeng. "Sunrise". Acrylic on canvas.
13" x16.5". Countless times I want to see the sunrise, want to climb the mountain before dawn to see the sunrise. It was the most beautiful and serene sunrise I had ever seen in my mind.
Zahra Mansuri. "Something Desi". Acrylic on canvas. 30" x 40". This painting was inspired by my desire to embrace my Indian culture. Accustomed to more European traditions and culture, many people, like myself, may feel disconnected from their own cultural background. I created this painting as a way to share my culture and as a simple reminder to never forget where we come from and all the beauty that entails.
Peter Erodotou. "To Brighter Days". Acrylic on canvas. 30" x 40". The one art movement that I was really intrigued by when creating this artwork was abstract
expressionism. I was motivated to create a piece that was very interesting for the eye, as I used different elements and principles such as movement to give the painting visual interest. Some artists that inspired me for this painting were Jackson Pollock, Jean-Paul Riopelle and Mark Rothko. Artists such as Riopelle used techniques such as applying thick paint, and many colours in his work, which inspired me to do the same. My painting expresses some “sparks of colour” in the dull, dark, dreary winter, and I feel that it also represents positivity in these unprecedented times.
Class Statement
As young artists progressing through a time of darkness and uncertainty, this exhibit speaks out collectively as a truth of hardship yet hope. Our art show symbolizes a beacon of light that serves as a powerful stance of optimism and faith. It proves as a piece of ourselves, inspiring others in hopes to unite each other. Similarly, as a light at the end of a tunnel, we celebrate our progression as young artists in our final year of highschool.
This exhibition is generously supported by
The Town of Whitchurch-Stouffville
Ontario Arts Council
Lions Club of Stouffville
Ken Goodbrand, Solicitor
Juror’s Awards presented by Lions Club of Stouffville awarded to:
Aldwin Jay Cabiles
Ashley Chen
Peter Erodotou
Zahra Mansuri
Tiffany-Quang
SDSS Art Department Award:
Evie Kozak-Holland