Chesterton High School (CHS) International Baccalaureate (IB) art students hosted their annual art show, allowing students, staff, and community members to come and appreciate their artistic abilities and dedication to the craft.
“The IB Art Show is the International Baccalaureate visual arts exhibition, and so what we do is, we create an exhibition of all the art we made throughout the year and how we’ve grown as an artist. We create a portfolio in our sketchbooks about how we’ve gotten that far,” senior Brianna Sim explains.
Senior Hana Byrt is devoted to creating captivatingly intricate dystopian cityscapes, often featuring bright color palettes. Byrt enjoys adding small details throughout her pieces so that people can find something new within the borders each time they view her work. Her favorite piece displayed in her exhibit is her nine-by-nine comic inspired by Dmitry Moore, a Russian propaganda artist. She admired his use of “bold and blocky shadows” which she sought to incorporate into her art piece. For her comic, she limited her color selection to warm colors. Similarly, Byrt reuses a cast of characters in her artworks and has drawn inspiration from an online artist.
“My biggest inspiration of artists would have to be a YouTuber artist, Neytirix. She makes amazing artworks with super tiny details and am inspired by how she makes her characters,” Byrt said.
One particular aspect of the IB Art Show that I admire is that each artist centers their display around something different- for artists like Byrt, it is a chance to explore an alternate world, but for artists like senior Maximus Gardiner, it is a chance to explore the mind and emotions.
Gardiner’s canvases centered on the topic of mentality, with the individual pieces focusing on anxiety. He created a dual portrait set of him and his brother concerning their differing perspectives. To further accentuate the meaning of his work, Gardiner drew a brick wall where students could write their names, referencing Pink Floyd’s song “Another Brick in the Wall, Part 2”.
“[Both of the pieces] are based on how I perceive both my and my brother’s mental states. My brother has an oval canvas with a fluid and wavy background, whereas mine is a more angular canvas with a jagged background and angry colors. I am more disconnected and my brother does more of whatever comes his way,” Gardiner said.
The art show is an incredibly unique experience where up-and-coming artists have the opportunity to showcase their impressive artistic range. Each year I have attended, I am blown away by these students’ talents and aptitude for this creative pursuit.
Artist Chloe-joi Pablo didn’t have a set theme but allowed her imaginative spirit to guide her hand. Having a great endearment for animals, Pablo was sure to include them in her art as she continued to explore realism and worked to develop her style.
“In all my pieces I have birds because they’re my favorite animal…birds are free and there are so many different species of them,” junior Pablo said.
Pablo’s favorite work she created is titled With Love which displays the Orange Peel Theory. This theory has circulated on social media and is based on Wendy Cope’s poem “The Orange”, which emphasizes the significance of friendship and selfless acts.
It’s important to recognize that sharing something as personal as art is a vulnerable experience for the artist. Yet, this is also a chance to share their endeavors with others, to inspire and enlighten others, and to show how art can touch the deepest parts of us.
