CVCC holds art contest for students

The 32 teams of students wore evidence of their artistry on their hands, feet, clothes and even their faces Friday morning.

Winners from CVCC Art Fair
- 3-D sculptures and ceramics
First place: Brittany Sink, Lib-erty High School
Second place: Lauren Taylor, Amherst High School
Third place: Heather Alewine, Staunton River High School
Honorable mention: Brandon Carr, Staunton River High School
- Graphics
First place: Autumn Saunders, Staunton River High School
Second place: Peyton Doyle, E.C. Glass High School
Third place: Demarco Bell, E.C. Glass High School
Honorable mention: Elliott Clowdis, Brookville High School
- Photography
First place: Katie Wasmer, E.C. Glass High School
Second place: Garrett Wood, Amherst High School
Third place: Megan Thomp-son, Amherst High School
Honorable mention: Brandon Coles, Jefferson Forest High School
Honorable mention: Danielle Hall, Altavista High School
Honorable mention: Andrew Hizer, Amherst High School
- Painting
First place: Lauren Herbst, Staunton River High School
Second place: Jessica Kuehle, William Campbell High School
Third place: Sarah-Louise Dechou, E.C. Glass High School
Honorable mention: Landon Clark, Staunton River High School
Honorable mention: Alicia Diggs, Staunton River High School
Honorable mention: Laurel Stephenson, Brookville High School
- Color Drawing
First place: Kayla Gatti, Staun-ton River High School
Second place: Rachel Ji, Brookville High School
Third place: Allison Romeo, Staunton River High School
Honorable mention: Anna Wade, E.C. Glass High School
- Drawing
First place: Hilary Farnam, Staunton River High School
Second place: Bonnie Roderique, Altavista High School
Third place: Meghan Baker, Staunton River High School
Honorable mention: Josh Booth, Liberty High School
Honorable mention: Brandi Martin, Staunton River High School
Honorable mention: Ian Anderson, Liberty High School

Chalk — in a full spectrum of colors.

As part of Central Virginia Community College’s annual art fair, 200 students from 10 area high schools created chalk-art drawings on 4-foot-by-4-foot pieces of paper.

“Watching the students create is a lot of fun,” said Jim Patterson, an instructor of communication design at CVCC and one of several organizers of the fair. “They’re so excited and working in teams.”

It’s one of the few opportunities in the area for students interested in the fine arts to all come together for a friendly competition, said Donna Hobbs, who also is an instructor of communication design at CVCC.

This year, the students’ chalk drawings focused on an environmental theme. Students had a little more than an hour to complete their projects, which later were judged on their composition, originality and technical expertise.

Most years, the teams create their chalk art outside along CVCC’s sidewalks. But a rainy Friday morning forced the groups inside.

In a room full of teams from Staunton River High School, one group took its inspiration from the animated movie “Happy Feet.”

“We just like penguins,” said senior Brandon Basham as he smudged the cool range of whites and light blues into his team’s oversized paper.

Their art featured a wintry scene with a walrus, seals and a polar bear amid melting ice.

A group from Liberty High School drew a fantastical portrayal of city pollution featuring warped skyscrapers oozing with bright green slime.

Senior Daniel Payne called it “Sludge City.”

“We have this city here, and it’s obviously very polluted,” he said, explaining the creation.

A team of five students from Altavista High School drew a tree that is alive with vibrant green foliage on one side, but dead and bare on the other.

“It’s kind of like a desert on one side and an ocean (on the other),” said Maggie White, a senior working on the project.

In the same group, senior Maria Eakin explained the key to working together — teamwork.

“You just have to talk and figure out what everyone else is doing,” she said.

The winning creation, from one of six Amherst High School groups, featured a lush rainforest with brightly colored flowers and butterflies. And a drab, gray bridge running straight through it.

“I think they’ve been doing a great job,” said Angela Bennett, one of three art teachers who came from Amherst.

“They love this. They’re really excited to get out and see the other artists in the area.”

The chalk drawings were only one facet of the competition.

Each of the students also submitted one piece of artwork in the categories of 3-D art, graphics, photography, painting, color drawing or drawing. After completing their artwork Friday, the group gathered as Patterson announced the list of winners in each category.

The art fair also serves as a way for CVCC to “to let the high school students know that we do have an art program here and let them know a little about us and meet us,” Hobbs said.

“It is so much fun every year.”