Local artists transform ideas from favorite book into works of art
Three rodents were spotted in the basement of the Tracy Public Library on Saturday morning, but there was no need to call pest control.
The three mice were the focal point of 15-year-old Lucia G.C. Schonhardt’s three-dimensional felt and lace sculpture “A Marvelous Mousy Marriage,” which earned first place at the 3rd Annual Youth Art Exhibition. Schonhardt won a six-month subscription to SketchBox, which once a month supplies drawing and painting art supples to subscribers.
“I wanted to do something a little bit different,” Schonhardt said. “I had some needle-felting stuff, and I really like doing that. It’s obviously a little bit weird — you take sheep’s wool and these special barbed needles and you just kind of poke it a bunch of times, and it turns into something. It’s actually pretty fun.”
Schonhardt, who practices in many media, said she prefers the kind of 3-D art she put on display Saturday. Her work took her about two weeks to complete.
Tracy’s artist-in-residence SammyJo Miller called Schondart’s work “a masterwork of craftsmanship and storytelling. Every lace detail and soft fabric texture brings her scene to life. Her design is patient, precise and full of heart.”
The young artists each took inspiration from a book they have enjoyed and transformed their ideas into something visual, personal and powerful, Miller told them. Saturday was a day to celebrate that creativity, and she said the kids could leave the library with a sense of pride of their accomplishments.
Miller said each artist brought creativity and effort their work, but more than that, the courage to submit it.
Second place in the age 12-18 category went to Cora Malmberg with her “Hunger Games”-inspired acrylic painting “Helios.”
Her painting, “glows with intensity and emotion,” Miller said. “Through color and symbolism … she captured strength and light within. Her brushwork and composition shows both confidence and maturity. A stunning, heartfelt piece.”
Michael Schonhardt placed third with his innovative LEGO display called “Symphony of Colored Bricks,” inspired by “LEGO: How to build everything.” Miller said his sculpture “reimagines what art can be. Using LEGO bricks, he built a rhythmic, musical composition of color and form, turning a familiar material into something expressive and entirely new.”
Both Malmberg and Schondardt will received a three-month SketchBox subscription.
Honorable mention went to Mara Flesener and Mira Hanson. Both reveived art supplies.
In the 6-11-age group, there was a tie for first place between Aubrey Harsh and Matthew Schonhardt. Harsh’s artwork is called “Frostmoth” is inspired by “Wings of Fire” and is done in colored pencil on paper.
“Her color choices perfectly express the icy magic of her dragon, and her attention to the scale texture shows really artistic growth,” said Miller.
Schonhardt’s watercolorand-marker painting is called “Gilpwood Forest” and is inspired by “The Wingfeather Saga.”
“It’s like a map to another world,” Miller said. “His creative layering and textured brush strokes bring his forest to life, and you can almost feel the adventure waiting inside.”
Both kids will receive a three-month subscription to Doodle Crate.
The awards and snacks at Saturday’s event were sponsored by Prairieland Arts.
Miller said she is still in the experimental stage with the exhibit, as far as when best to have it. She said in the future, the show might take place in the spring.
“This year was the first time we’ve included the 12-and-under category,” she said. “I do a scoresheet — it’s out of 25 with a possible two bonus points. It’s based off of technical merit with their medium and the quality of work in their age group and skill level. They’re all kind of battling against themselves so to speak.”
Miller, who has mentored a number of the kids who took part in the art contest, said she had a very difficult time judging the entries, as each young artist showed much talent and diversity in their work.
“It’s been so fun — I’m always so impressed, but it makes my job very hard,” she said. “They all do such a fantastic job; I want to award all of them!”
