High Energy, a dynamic exploration of youth art as seen through the eyes of high school students from three St. Albert schools, is currently on view at Art Gallery of St. Albert.
It showcases about 120 striking artworks representing 100 artists who experiment with several mediums such as watercolour, acrylic, pencil, and mixed media.
This year, six Christopher Kazaleous Memorial Awards were presented for excellence. Sarah Keels, a Grade 12 Paul Kane High Grade 12 student, received an award for excellence for painting four banners of fabric.
“The tricky part was figuring out how to paint on the canvas. I’d never done it before, but it was fun,” said Keels.
Bianca Schoonderwoerd, a Grade 11 student from Paul Kane, was recognized for Lockers, a distorted perspective of school lockers with a disturbing creature walking down the halls.
“I really liked painting with watercolour and ink because you can layer it on,” said Schoonderwoerd.
Grade 10 student Shaylee Lorrain received an award for Mushroom, an ethereal painting of a feathery blue and pink mushroom that gives off a delicate vibe.
Grade 12 student Elijah Espejo was lauded for Cretaceous, an underwater fantasy view of marine life hidden from human eyes, and Grade 11 student Oliver Lindsay was lauded for his quirky Octopus squeezed between lemons and a head of bok choy.
And last, but not least, Isabel McQuhae received the nod for excellence in sculpture after painting four Ukrainian Easter eggs to honour her heritage.
As curator Emily Baker described the young visual artists just prior to presenting the awards, “I can’t say 'no' when you see what they create. They deserve to be here and be and to be seen.”
High Energy is on display until May 31.
