student surrealist art exhibit online: 2021 statewide
“delusions, desires and delicacies”
Initiated in 1992, this annual juried art exhibit presents work by middle and high school students whom we invite to explore ideas and visions similar to those explored by Salvador Dalí and the surrealists. The 2021 theme is “Delusions, Desires and Delicacies,” a theme that encourages students to explore these dream-like ideas inspired by our subconscious wants and fears.
Sigmund Freud, the father of Psychoanalysis, was one of the first scientists to propose that dreams were not just the residue from sleep. He argued that dreams function like a language, and can be interpreted scientifically in order to understand a person’s fears, desires, and motivations. His dream studies greatly influenced the surrealists, who looked to their dreams for inspiration. An avid follower of Freud, Dalí describer his paintings as “hand-painted dream photographs.”
“Delusions, Desires and Delicacies” encourages students to create dream-like visions and look to their dreams for inspiration. The definitions suggest possible approaches to the competition: a delusion is “a belief that is firmly maintained despite being contradicted by what is generally accepted as reality…” Desire is “a strong feeling of wanting to have something or wishing for something to happen.”
A delicacy is “something delightful or pleasing, especially a choice food considered with regard to its rarity, costliness.” Each definition suggests a possible approach for students to create their own “hand-painted dream photograph.”
Thank you to our sponsor:
middle school
Alphabetical order by school
(Click images to enlarge)
Yaditzel Mendoza
Ocular Hors d’oeuvre
AP Mays Conservatory of the Arts
Teacher: Gerald Obregon
Grade 8
Materials: Marker, colored pencil
I thought of someone swallowing an eye. I was then reminded of a show in which they tattooed a snake. I thought that I should draw a snake and combine it with the first idea. I drew the snake with markers, the white of the eye with charcoal, the mouth of the snake and the veins in color pencils. Since I was focused on the snake and the eye, I made the background black and added some plants. With this work I learned how to combine color pencils and markers in a single piece. What makes this artwork surreal is the question – how can a snake take out an eye if snakes usually eat their food whole?
Amelia O’Brien
To Placebo, Your Hijinxcs
Avalon Middle School
Teacher: Shelley Salt
Grade 8
Materials: Watercolor, ink
This drawing came out as a way to convey trying to live a ‘newer’ life, straying from the past, acting to be happy, and trying to live up to people’s expectations. No matter how much you indulge in food to run away, how much you desire to get away, and no matter how much you delude yourself into perceiving a false reality, some things never work out in our favor when running away.
Nikita Lasmezas
The Lion’s Dream
Bak Middle School of the Arts
Teacher: Michelle Sherman
Grade 7
Materials: Graphite
The lion’s gaze is full of hope, despite the weight of the buildings on the bridge of its nose. The buildings are compact and oppressive, destroying to exist. Humans might give the lion back its habitat. Or is it just an illusion? I want viewers to see the lion’s desire, and my dream.
Mara Popa
Daunting Roots
Bak Middle School of the Arts
Teacher: Michelle Sherman
Grade 7
Materials: Watercolor, colored pencil
Creating this piece, I wanted to try and capture a warped but grounded feel since I thought the dramatic perspective would add to the skewed look. The building’s support from the tree provides the most ‘surreal’ addition, and the form is meant to be that of a church. I was inspired by Antoni Gaudi’s work and the complex architecture his cathedrals withhold. I used watercolor with colored pencils for detail work.
Audrey Walker
Eyes of the Storm
Buffalo Creek Middle School
Teacher: Tatiana Hernandez
Grade 7
Materials: Watercolor, ink
What inspired me to create this artwork is because some people think the definition of an “Angel” is any angelic, human-like being, when in reality, it is something that cannot be described. The exhibit’s theme influenced me because this artwork has human features, like eyes, But it also has features that you won’t see in real-life creatures. My method for creating this was with watercolor. I learned how to mix colors while using watercolor. My work is surreal because of the human but not human-like features. I want the viewer to know that nothing is really how it seems.
Maibeth Quintana Montalvo
Overlooked
Conway Middle School
Teacher: Amanda Morehead
Grade 8
Materials: Colored pencil
I was inspired by my favorite kind of dog, the chow chow. I wanted my dogs to be very large and fill the room, which appears to be underwater. While creating this artwork I chose to ignore the stress in my life and focus on things that make me happy. Although I used this to escape my stress, I overall we need to confront our stress not ignore it so things don’t get worse.
Darianna Bullones-Torres
Peacock Feathers
Daniel Jenkins
Academy Middle School
Teacher: Landan Smith
Grade 7
Materials: Digital Art
My artwork is surreal because it is something I have never seen before. It has some flowers that stand for life. That’s the bright red. The dark red flowers stand for death. The peacock in the middle is your spirit animal that gives you life. I digitally drew parts of this with a tool called Kleki. I also used Unsplash for images and the tool called Pixlr for the colors.
Willow Deterra
It’s a Wonderful Life
Davenport School of the Arts
Teacher: Kyndil Rogers
Grade 8
Materials: Colored pencil
The title of my artwork is It’s a Wonderful Life, but the subject matter is very opposite to that phrase. This picture represents the delusions of loss. The woman in the picture thinks she has lost everything. The hands represent the things she now longs for, when in reality she hasn’t lost anything. In place of her missing hands are beautiful flowers. She just can’t see them past the thorns.
Armando Diaz Vega
Delusion of Evolution
Davenport School of the Arts
Teacher: Kyndil Rogers
Grade 7
Materials: Graphite
Natalia Gomez
Reaching
Glades Middle School
Teacher: Mirena Suarez
Grade 7
Materials: collage, color pencils, and watercolors
“Reaching” is about how there can be peace and beauty in destruction. I used collage, color pencils, and watercolors in the artwork. This artwork is important to me because it describes something I constantly look for. There is always a bright side to things and even though it might not seem like it at the time, things will always get better.
Brianny Rodriguez
Keep Pouring
Hammocks Middle
Teacher: Katherine Martinez
Grade 7
Materials: Digital collage
What inspired me to create this artwork was the stress that I had that week. This artwork is important to me because it gives an inside of my life. What makes my work surreal is the technique I used – transformation. I want the viewer to know that they can use art to let out their stress.
Isabella Villaruel
Forever Written
Hammocks Middle
Teacher: Katherine Martinez
Grade 6
Materials: Digital collage
Many people are suffering because of other people’s comment. Someone laughing at you, making a comment about you, or making a naughty look. I hurts, but they don’t realize it, and the only thing they want is to be happy. My method was to create something new that I never tried before. What makes it surreal is juxtaposition – the eye is popping out of the book, crying out notes or book pages. I want to help end the hateful words.
Kate Stanek
Enchanted Forest
Highland Oaks Middle School
Teacher: Anna Weiss
Grade 7
Materials: Manipulated photo
A fantasy movie inspired this project because I saw an image of tress and branches that looked like a door. This year’s exhibit theme led me to make a whimsical, fantasy-based photograph. The artwork makes me feel more lighthearted about the world – it can be viewed however you want, but is still being grounded in the real world. The work is a delusion because of its exaggerated blue values and swirls. Through this project, I learned that Surrealism is broader than I realized.
Leighton Wyatt
Growing Old
Lawton Chiles Middle Academy
Teacher: Areti A. Clark
Grade: 8
Materials: Acrylic paint
For my Surrealism piece, I wanted to address the desire to grow old. In Mexico, an avocado symbolizes dreams. I used it as a dream of being or appearing older. Everyone is always in a rush to grow up and never allowed to act their age. The candles represent birthday cake candle. The eye shows distress and paranoia, demonstrating that growing up isn’t always the best thing.
Mason Traynor
Schrödinger in Practice
Lecanto Middle School
Teacher: Hillary Hewit
Grade 8
Materials: Digitally altered drawing
Rylie Scanlon
Radiant Space
Maitland Middle School
Teacher: Stacey Fisher
Grade 7
Materials: Marker, colored pencil
I wanted my artwork to represent a surreal dream. My little rat is stuck on an island, but is it really an island? The delusion of my piece is the fact that the turtle is floating in the middle of the ocean with many dangers around him. The snake who desires the rat has broken through his cage in space. And last, is the delicacy. To the snake the rat is his delicacy, and my moon is Pule cheese, which is the most expensive cheese in the world.
Sarah Brunt
E.Y.S. (Educate Your Son)
Rochelle School of the Arts
Teacher: Simoni Limeira-Bonadies
Grade 8
Materials: Ink
The woman represents the delusion, the desire, and the delicacy. The woman is sick of being laughed at by a bunch of careless, ignorant, immature, and useless monsters who care for nothing but their reputation and evil pleasures. The man has a rooster’s head because it’s the only thing he thinks with. Only a fool believes nonsense. The man is a fool.
Cristian Diaz
Grill Time
Rochelle School of the Arts
Teacher: Rick Runion
Grade 6
Materials: Colored pencil
The hand is coming out of the portal, grabbing a steak. The steak is the desire and the delicacy. The portal is the delusion of achieving its desire. That’s why the steak is blue and the sky is red.
Annalyse McGuirt
Cone Appetite
Rochelle School of the Arts
Teacher: Brandie King
Grade 8
Materials: Digital art
Cone Appetite! My consistent desire for ice cream and Dali’s creative use of snails was the fuel for inspiration behind my artwork. Desires, delicacies, and delusion each were symbolized in in this piece. The vibrant blurred background displays an altered state of mind. I thought to include something personal, the cone represents my ice cream cravings. The escargot is a delicacy in France. The juxtaposition of the snails to the ice cream cone adds emotion, a shocked-queasy reaction to the image. It surely isn’t something you see every day.
Mackenzie Skinner
Delusions in Wonderland
Rowlett Middle Academy
Teacher: Brittany Braniger
Grade 8
Materials: Charcoal, acrylic paint, and digital
To create Delusions in Wonderland, I started by brainstorming dream-like ideas. I chose to use charcoal and paint to create the skeleton, the butterflies, and the bird. Then, I uploaded a picture and completed the background and grass digitally. I used the theme delusion, desires, and delicacies by placing the skeleton in a mystical grove setting. The inspiration was pulled from Salvador Dali and his use of dream-like surreal elements in his art works.
Caroline Bean
Teatime with Friends
Shorecrest Preparatory School
Teacher: Cindy Williams
Grade 7
Materials: Ink, marker
The theme this year was delusions, desires, and delicacies. The surreal painting of The Creation of Birds by Remedios Varo was my inspiration to add bird elements. The larger character has an egret head and is tall and imposing. The other character sits hunched over. Her shadow is a fish, which shows a clear power dynamic. The setting is in a pediatrician’s waiting room. I used markers, colored pencils, and pens to create this surreal scene.
Emmie Harris
Critic’s Daydream
Shorecrest Preparatory School
Teacher: Cindy Williams
Grade 7
Materials: markers, colored pencils, and pens
My inspiration in this surreal piece is the feeling of eating a really good meal. I’m a baker and every time I eat something really good I feel like daydreaming. I drew the delicacies in the bottom left corner and had the daydream surrounding it. The background images include my dad’s work building, the floating pencil is a doodle I made as a toddler with my older brother and the duck coming out of the planet is one of the childhood toys. Growing up these things were so important to me and putting them onto paper really connects me with my art.
Idexa Scheller
The Cycle of Desire
Shorecrest Preparatory School
Teacher: Cindy Williams
Grade 7
Materials: Ink
Textiles from Paracas inspired my drawing, where creatures are woven in ways where their start and end are unclear. Desires come from delicacies, desires lead to delusions and delusions create delicacies: the core cycle in my drawing. Sometimes I am caught in cycles where my actions keep leading me to the same conclusions. The constant movements of stippling taught me patience and gave me time to self-reflect. Life is a cycle filled with delusion, desires and delicacies. Once you avert your eyes from the center, you can observe your surroundings and see how life really is.
Sebastian Jane
Fabian’s Fantastical Journey
South Miami K8 Visual and Performing Arts Center
Teacher: Sara Haley
Grade 6
Materials: Digital collage
Sometimes I find myself staring at the ocean and losing myself in its dark blue waters. It seems fitting that the ocean would have its own vegetation, like the algae fields with stalks that reach from the bottom to the surface. But what if a tree were to grow in algae fields, and what if someone were to climb it and then meet a barracuda? These were the thoughts I had when I began working on this piece for the surrealist show. I photographed my friend in the tree at school and the rest is Photopea.
Nicolas Rodriguez de Athayde
Become Real
South Miami K8 Visual and Performing Arts Center
Teacher: Xonia Regalado
Grade 8
Materials: Watercolor, marker, oil pastel
Sometimes our heads end up being filled with all sorts of things. It happens and in such great quantity that it is easy to lose oneself, to short circuit your identity. The truth is that we are just a conglomerate of all kinds of different things, endless information and experiences constantly change who we are. We are all locked up in our minds, and maybe that is not so bad. In this work I attempt to let the contents pour out of my head.
Amalie Arango
Reborn
South Miami Middle School
Teacher: Abraham Camayd
Grade 7
Materials: Digital photo, Photoshop
I was inspired by the opportunity to photograph my nephew in my very own set up created by my ideas. I connect to this artwork because of the relationship I have with my nephew and our connection to nature. This work is important to me because it shows my creativity and how I was able to bring my idea to life.
Steve Stevens
The Abyss
South Miami Middle School
Teacher: Abraham Camayd
Grade 8
Materials: Digital photo, Photoshop
My idea for the image, which I called The Abyss, was to capture a lost boy in an unknown place. It would leave the viewer to question why the boy is in a dark place, or where the boy is. The image is a boy lost in his mind with nowhere to go for help, no one to guide him, nothing to do except for wandering around looking for hope to find a way out of the abyss.
Siena Fior
The Two Sides of Me
St. Theresa Catholic School
Teacher: Christine Prieto
Grade 7
Materials: Colored pencil, marker
My painting was inspired because of my love for dancing and the beauty of Mother Nature. I first drew a sketch, then I traced over it, next I colored it in using colored pencils and watercolors. While painting I reflected on the importance of nature and the many elements of surrealism. I used several surrealistic elements such as an optical illusion, fictional characters and a variation of size.
Sarah Molina
Fish at Work
St. Theresa Catholic School
Teacher: Elaine Villar
Grade 7
Materials: Colored pencil, ink
What inspired me was being successful regardless of your differences. My method was to draw in pencil, outline the main focus of the painting in black, and fill it in with colored pencil. My art is surreal because it’s a fish becoming a businessman which is something you don’t see every day. I want the viewer to know that it doesn’t matter if you’re a fish or human – you can succeed if you try.
Irenea Rirao
Once Upon a Dream…
Timber Springs Middle School
Teacher: Amber Estes
Grade 6
Materials: Mixed Media Collage
Kinsey Anderson
The Sky Looks a Little Fishy
Union Academy
Teacher: Kaitlyn Reynolds
Grade 8
Materials: Colored pencil, watercolor
I was inspired by Hayao Miyazaki’s surreal and dreamlike settings in his films. The theme influenced me to think about what would be strange to see. I like koi fish and their colors. I used watercolor and stuck to a complementary color scheme: aqua and orange. I learned to draw fish and used dreamlike settings, scale, and levitation to make it surreal. I want the viewer to feel my piece is pleasant and bright.
Caitlyn Robertson
The Bird Cage
Union Academy
Teacher: Kaitlyn Reynolds
Grade 7
Materials: Colored pencil, marker
My inspiration was collecting feathers and studying their shapes and lines. I used displacement and double images through the ribs as feathers and the sternum made of bird skulls. The theme influenced my meaning: letting your heart take chances. The rib cage protects, but in this case, it encourages flight by being made of feathers and birds. The desire to let your heart be free is strong, especially during this pandemic.
Danica Swain
Fish Out of Water
Wedgefield K-8
Teacher: Ellen Kramer
Grade 7
Materials: Digital art
My artwork explores unrealistic events by adding unnatural combinations. This lets me express my ideas that haven’t been stated. The fish represents escaping reality. The balloons guide you to the path of the unknown.
Catherine Navvaro
Elegance
Winston Park K-8 Center
Teacher: Isabel Sigarroa
Grade 8
Materials: Digital art
When drawing this piece, I was inspired by the Floridian Panther, the unique feeling you might obtain when seeing this creature in person, and my own desired to see it. Dali’s paintings The Elephants inspired my interpretation of the panther. I wanted the panther to have skinny needle like legs to convey how I felt panthers moved so quietly, elegantly and how seeing this creature would feel unreal.
Maria Santora
Filter
Winthrop Charter School
Teacher: Jill Maxwell
Grade 7
Materials: Colored pencils, alcohol markers, and oil pastels
Women are pressured to achieve a certain image; an unrealistic obsession, that we must fit a predetermined mold, change our natural appearance to fit social media. We seek perfection, to “filter” ourselves to gain acceptance. The idea that inner beauty is superior and was my inspiration. The syringes, claws, broken egg, and face are symbolic of the turmoil between modern demands and one’s true self.
high school
Alphabetical order by school
Sureily Marestein
No Vacancy
AP Mays Conservatory of the Arts
Teacher: Gerald Obregon
Grade 12
Materials: Ink, colored pencil
The goal of my artwork was to represent the idea of being stuck in one place mentally and wanting to perfect a dream goal with a limited amount of time. The theme challenged me to express my emotions within my piece. Learning how to represent my dream made me realize that I can accomplish that goal with no fear nor worries.
Kelly Ferencsik
Teary-eyed
Apopka High School
Teacher: Abbey Kish
Grade 11
Materials: Digital art
My artwork is mainly inspired by surrealist pieces that feature distortion of the human body. Using that technique, I wanted to create a bizarre effect in my work. The main theme of the piece is a visual pun, playing with the term “teary-eyed.”
Abigail Ross
Illusion of Freedom
Apopka High School
Teacher: Abbey Kish
Grade 10
Materials: Acrylic paint, pastel, mixed media
This piece represents the delusion and desire of freedom. I implore the audience to dig into the symbolism of this drawing. I ask: how much are we willing to sacrifice for the delusion of freedom? No matter what we do, what we sacrifice, we are still trapped in some form or another. I feel very close to this artwork; it is a self-portrait and reflects a lot of aspects of myself. It carries much grief and frustration.
Kate Spencer
Re-Birth of Venus
Apopka High School
Teacher: Abbey Kish
Grade 9
Materials: Colored pencil
This artwork is about the illusion and delusion of love and desiring someone. It is inspired by the famous painting, Birth of Venus, but with a twist. Venus, our desired person, is shedding her skin, revealing an inside that looks exactly like the other two figures in the piece. This shows the facade created by someone’s love, or loving the idea of someone rather than them as a person.
Sophia Wortman
Dream Crusher
Bell Creek Academy
Teacher: Charles Cawley
Grade 11
Materials: Digital art
For my drawing, I was inspired by the desires that people have in dreams, and the meaning
Freud finds in them. A greedy businessman wishes for diamonds to fall from the sky and in
return, he is risking his life and destroying the world around him. He doesn’t realize the potential dangers and reaches out to the sky, about to be destroyed by his foolishness. This piece taught me the power of color and storytelling.
Dhirey Penaloza Vivar
Next Destination: Pending…
Boca Raton Community High School
Teacher: Jessica Greenberg
Grade 12
Materials: Mixed media
When asked “where are you from?,” my answer often develops into telling my life story to find that answer myself. In this way, I wanted to represent my life story visually as I carry the weaved suitcase with me onto my next destination. Thus, the left side represents the beginning of my childhood as I left Peru at age 3, while the right side represents my journey of discovering who I am today.
Kresly Jeantinoble
De Caff
Boynton Beach CHS
Teacher: Gwenn Seuling
Grade 9
Materials: Graphite
What inspires me is my ability to draw and watching shows that involve drawing and animation. In general, my artwork pushes me to do something greater than my expectations, and it teaches me to fail as well. As I spend time drawing, I made plenty of mistakes, but I learn that no one, no art, is perfect. Everything is imperfect. What makes my drawing surreal is taking little pieces of the world and connecting them in a bizarre way. Viewers seem surprised by my work and wonder if I copy or trace, which I do not.
Emma Chang
Split
Charles W. Flanagan High School
Teacher: Jamie Filo
Grade 11
Materials: Marker, colored pencil, graphite
When creating my piece, I wanted to portray a character who was so detached from reality that he couldn’t even recognize himself anymore. He is so removed from what is real and what isn’t that he picture himself with a detached mouth and floating eyes. His vulnerability becomes so extreme that he feel as if he’s being watched, hence the prevalence of the eyes. He has become fragile
Fernando Rodrigeuz
Blooming Desire
Charles W. Flanagan High School
Teacher: Jamie Filo
Grade 11
Materials: Digital photo, Procreate
Jasmine Saldana-Martis
Hiding
Charles W. Flanagan High School
Teacher: Darlene Vasano-Jones
Grade 12
Materials: Digital art
Too many people are afraid to say what’s on their mind or how they feel. So, my goal for this piece was to show how it feels to hide those negative and more vulnerable emotions, while, hopefully, instilling the viewer with the desire to break free from that behavior by displaying the anguish that arises from it.
Cyres West
“what?”
Citrus High School
Teacher: Nancy Klark
Grade 10
Materials: Graphite
A drawing of a world that could only be seen in a dream, incomprehensible. I have no clue what I drew… that is why the title is What. It was the first thing I said when I was done and looked at it.
Diana Concepcion
Bittersweet Delight
Coral Reef Senior High
Teacher: Perri Cox
Grade 10
Materials: Digital art
Skyla Gronigan
Gentleman’s Conscience
Dr. Phillips High School
Teacher: Abigail Callaway
Grade 10
Materials: Mixed media
This triptych is a mixed media painting, mostly gouache, that represents the unconscious battle mankind faces. A lobster, a known delicacy, is split in half by a symbol of death, a black widow. Its eight legs represent the many paths death takes. The guns and bullets littering the blood represent violence we face today, while silverware scattered around corners near the lobster symbolize the desire for delusions that mask what we truly are.
Anika Mallu
Anything for a Gold Star
Dr. Phillips High School
Teacher: Abigail Callaway
Grade 11
Materials: Digital photo
I was influenced by people’s desire to be the best at what they do and the delusion of always needing to do whatever it takes to fit societal expectations. I explored how having this continual delusion and desire to do whatever it takes to succeed can be detrimental and take a great toll on a person.
Ana Avila
Fracti Somnia
Felix Varela High School
Teacher: Maria Lantigua
Grade 10
Materials: Digital photo, Photoshop
My piece Fracti Somnia (“Broken Dream” in Latin) is a self-portrait that represents the desire for happiness, the delusions because of pain, and the delicacy of a broken heart. The art I make has a deep meaning and connection to me. I have always been open about my mental health and love to share my feelings with the world with my photography, while at the same time raising awareness about mental health.
Nickole Serrano
Trails of Mistake
Felix Varela High School
Teacher: Maria Lantigua
Grade 11
Materials: Digital photo, Photoshop
The one who inspired me was myself, because as a photographer I want to create a message through photography. The exhibit’s theme influenced me by challenging me to show a message from a surreal perspective. This work demonstrated to me that I can achieve goals when I try my best. I look for a message in nature and in human life, which I made surreal in the way it’s set up and the coloring. I want viewers to know that it is possible when you try your best.
Daniel Soriano
Organic Radiograph
Felix Varela High School
Teacher: Heather Cipriani
Grade 11
Materials: Ink
For this exhibit, I formed a delusion upon the behavior of the natural world, inspired by nature’s biological clock. Through irrational juxtapositions, I combined organisms of one food chain all together. My art style consists of using line work to add dimension to a space. I gained an understanding of how to combine multiple subjects into one unified form and invite viewers to reflect on the uncultivated world.
Susannah Braswell
Served on a Platter
Harrison School for the Arts
Teacher: Beth Garcia
Grade 10
Materials: Acrylic paint
Delusion and desire are characterized by the green creatures (meant to represent the role modern media plays in engraining misogyny into popular culture) “serving” the dismembered, female cadavers (meant to represent the blatant objectification of women) to the public. To represent the corpse as a delicacy, I presented this idea in a disturbing, cannibalistic context. The work is done in acrylic paint with an abstracted background to help highlight the painting’s subjects.
Aurora Depto-Tickner
The Table of Knowledge
Harrison School for the Arts
Teacher: Joshua Steele
Grade 9
Materials: Colored pencil
I’m surprised by the fact that people are easily gifted knowledge but rarely utilize it. All the themes played an influential role in my artwork with the Desire to gain knowledge and with the Delicacy and Delusions of a brain sandwich. For my method and surrealist technique, I used scribble shading in the background and table to make it look as though you are leaving a dream. To everyone: Knowledge is for all ages.
Jasmine Diaz Marquez
Just a Dream
Harrison School for the Arts
Teacher: Rocky Bridges
Grade 9
Materials: Watercolor
All three themes influenced my piece. I showed desire as media expectations, including riches and beauty, typically seen with a feminine presence; usually with the idea of “eternal beauty”. Delicacies can be seen in the cultural food, gold, and treasures. For delusions I discolored the sky to have a “fever dream” feel. All this because most things we’re taught to value are distant. In the end it all returns to rot in the earth.
Madelyn Hamm
Flesh Cake
Harrison School for the Arts
Teacher: Joshua Steele
Grade 9
Materials: Digital art
For the theme, “delusions, desires, and delicacies”, I immediately thought of cake. I took a stereotypical delicious piece of cake and distorted it to make it unsettling and surreal. I wanted to tell a story about a kid being led around a creepy store by a masked man. Flesh Cake is one of the cursed objects they come across. I like this piece because it let me express my love for the spooky. I got to be as creative with the concept as I wanted without worrying about it being realistic.
Finley Harris
Fruit Basket
Harrison School for the Arts
Teacher: Rocky Bridges
Grade 9
Materials: Digital art
I was inspired by Renaissance painting and street art. The theme ‘Delusions, Delicacies, and Desires” reminded me of love and how it can be rare yet wanted by many – only to be afforded by those most fortunate. I learned a lot by trying to provide contrast in the background so it didn’t take away from the main subject, all while still being interesting enough to help your eye move through the composition.
Gabriela Rosario
A World of Hypocracy
Harrison School for the Arts
Teacher: Joshua Steele
Grade 10
Materials: Acrylic paint
This painting represents how people judge others for being who they are and who they want to be. In a world of hypocrisy we learn we shouldn’t let this type of person get in the way. I wanted to communicate to viewers that in this world there are a lot of people who may judge you, but don’t listen because you are strong and you don’t need to change who you are for others. Be yourself.
Christopher Wheeler
Temptation
Harrison School for the Arts
Teacher: Rocky Bridges
Grade 10
Materials: Watercolor, ink
In my work I wanted to creep out the viewer but also keep them interested. I used a lot of symbolic objects and added hidden items. I was inspired by the Garden of Eden gone wrong. I made giant trees, twirling left and right with massive eyeballs with the added detail of tiny people running around and other small details to set in the creep factor. But it has a warmth to it, using red undertones and warmer colors I feel like I was able to mess with your brain in a way.
Sheila Xavier
Cinderella’s Big Score
Harrison School for the Arts
Teacher: Beth Garcia
Grade 9
Materials: Watercolor, ink
I was inspired by listening to the song “Cinderella’s Big Score” by the band Sonic Youth. My imagery is meant to depict a person with an eating disorder and sees themself as a skeleton. I used a mix of colored pencil, watercolors, and ink so that I could create a more graphic look. By creating this piece of art, I wanted to bring awareness to mental illnesses such as eating disorders.
Keily Basart
Fleischerei
Hialeah High School
Teacher: Arlete Romero-Mena
Grade 12
Materials: Digital art
Both Salvador Dalí and Mark Ryden’s famous meat show have been inspirations. “Delusions, Desires and Delicacies” is a theme that speaks to my soul. “Fleischerei” is a German word typically used to say one is lustful for flesh (as in, skin) but I put a spin on the word because “fleischerei” is also a word used for meat. So I thought the lust for meat would be great. It fits with the desires and delicacies as well as delusion theme. The person sitting atop the cold display case could be a version of myself. That originated from a personal story from when I was 4 years old when I witnessed animal slaughter for the first time. Essentially it is a self-portrait.
Karime Carvajal
Inevitable Reality
Hudson High School
Teacher: Faith Neris
Grade 12
Materials: Colored pencil
In this piece, I worked to convey the message of self-love. Here, I depict myself contorting in harmful ways in attempts to become this “ideal” version that would please others. However, I remind myself that patience is a virtue and that in order to become who I truly want to be, I must remain patient and kind to myself. I hope that viewers remember to do the same.
Justin John
Circulatory System
International Baccalaureate
Teacher: Christina Yowa
Grade 10
Materials: Colored pencil
My art piece was heavily influenced by the human body but more specifically the circulatory system where the art is located. I made the piece a twisted version of the circulatory system as seen from the perspective of a delusional old man as he is having a heart attack and what I imagine that would be like. This piece is supposed to make the viewer see the futility of mankind and its desire for clarity.
Tanzeela Osmani
Death Row
International Baccalaureate
Teacher: Christina Yowa
Grade 9
Materials: Colored pencil, watercolor, acrylic paint
Death Roe showcases a spoonful of caviar encasing small fish in their homes. I wanted to create a surreal idea based on caviar, so I exaggerated the concept of fish eggs to create a mystifying scene. The caviar represents our world and its movement towards destruction due to our poor treatment. Viewers see the artwork and contemplate the lives of each fish, trapped inside the delicacy, on their way towards death.
Celeste Sandoval
A Dream Within a Dream
John A. Ferguson Sr. High School
Teacher: Ania Moussawel
Grade 10
Materials: Digital photo
This photo was inspired by one of my father’s earlier photographs, I always go with him to watch him take photos and envy his work greatly. This artwork reminds of my father and connects me to all the great times we have taking photos together. The use of shutter speed and aperture size was used to create this photo down in The Everglades National Park. In my opinion, the tree branches make the photograph surreal, angling the camera from a worm’s eye view allowed for the photo to capture the trees rigid branches against the colorful sunset.
Ava Hochella
Appearances
Jupiter Community High School
Teacher: Sarah Knudtson
Grade 9
Materials: Collage
I used digital collage techniques to create a surrealistic art piece. Using dislocation and displacement, I was able to create a creepy and strange photo. I wanted to make a piece that displayed the idea that things aren’t always what they appear, particularly other humans. I’ve had times where I thought someone was nice or thought they were my friend but beneath the surface, they were an awful, monster of a human being.
Jocelyn Oliveira
Sickly Sweet Delusions
Jupiter Community High School
Teacher: Sarah Knudtson
Grade 11
Materials: Digital art
I was inspired by my own personal experiences in how delusions and irrational thoughts kept me from being able to enjoy things. I used a dreamlike setting and symbolism to demonstrate the meaning of the piece. I had the figures visualize to the viewer how insecurities can make you feel trapped with eyes symbolizing the delusion of constant judgment the figure feels. I painted the piece digitally with the animals and cake using real pictures.
Leanna Overbeck
Submerging the Soul
Jupiter Community High School
Teacher: Sarah Knudtson
Grade 12
Materials: Photomontage
For this project, I wanted to experiment a completely different scene than I would typically do. In relation to exploring emotions, the water symbolizes drowning one’s self in their darkness. It can feel as if there is nowhere to find oxygen or relief, so the individual just accepts and surrenders themselves. Sometimes you don’t even realize you allow yourself to drown in your feelings.
Connor Dodd
Love is Heartless
Lake Mary High School
Teacher: Karen Leblanc
Grade 10
Materials: Collage
Victoria Bork
Fading
Lakewood Ranch High School
Teacher: Laura Victore
Grade 11
Materials: Oil paint
This piece of artwork was a spontaneous one. I had no plan for what I was going to put on the canvas, which allowed me to not worry about the final product so I could simply create. I feel that I have an emotional connection to this painting because we share multiple layers of emotion.
Mariangella Cepero
The Delusion and Reality of Being Constantly Pursued
Lakewood Ranch High School
Teacher: Adela Salas
Grade 10
Materials: Marker, ink, colored pencil
This piece represents the paranoia and ‘delusions’ that I have experienced while growing up as a young girl indoctrinated with the ‘asking for it’ ideology. The thought that if your clothes are too provocative unspeakable things will happen to you is quite a lot for a young child to process. I wanted to take the truths, lies, and harmful stereotypes about sexual assault and mix it in with my own paranoia and worldview.
Maddison Sturgeon
Trapped in my Thoughts
Lakewood Ranch High School
Teacher: Adela Salas
Grade 9
Materials: Post-It notes, marker
My piece was inspired by a circumstance that several people including myself experience sometimes. It can be hard for one say what is on their mind or even feel comfortable articulating their emotions, creating the feeling of being trapped in their own head. Using sticky notes was an arbitrary medium I used to go out of my comfort zone and add on to this surreal artwork.
Viola Szalkai
Destruction of Earth: At Our Hands
Lakewood Ranch High School
Teacher: Laura Victore
Grade 10
Materials: Watercolor, collage
In the artwork, the trash underneath the wave the boy is holding shows the litter we infect our waters with. The smoke from the cigarettes forming clouds show how we pollute our beautiful skies with smoke. The man fishing exaggerates how we strip other organisms from their homes. The fire in the background shows how the world is ultimately catching fire. The camera shows how we aren’t doing much but standing around and watching the world crumble. The artwork relates the theme with a delusion that humans are destroying the Earth.
Kristyn Ball
The Illusion of Composure
Merritt Island High School
Teacher: Lauren Sorey
Grade 12
Materials: Mixed media
My artwork was inspired by my feelings of pain and the desire to mask that pain to face the world with composure. I used the surrealist technique of dislocation with the mushrooms growing out of the skin rather than the earth, symbolizing pain. Although the figure has the delusion that they can hide from the world, it is clear that they are rotting.
Nya Jacobson
A Glimpse of Lucidity
Miami Arts Studio 6-12
Teacher: Brian Reedy
Grade 11
Materials: Linocut, ink
The theme of delusions, desires, and delicacies stood out to me as such human, yet indescribable thoughts. I knew I wanted to capture the feeling of a dreamlike yearning, but the execution of how to show this raw emotion posed difficult. I decided that using mixed media would help me truly capture the juxtaposition between reality and dream. I utilized the geometric and concrete nature of block printing to illustrate the harsh, material world of reality. I took this a step further in keeping it black and white, showing the bleakness of “practical” thought. This is contrasted by the colorful and fluid image inside the constraints of the mind. The keyhole is symbolic of the societal constraints we put on our own desires, and allows for a glimpse into the yearning of a dream.
Ava Briggs
Sourpuss
New Smyrna Beach High
Teacher: Laura Johnson
Grade 9
Materials: Colored pencil, marker
Max Alyssa Cornette
In One Ear and Out the Other
New Smyrna Beach High
Teacher: Kristen Gregor
Grade 10
Materials: Floral foam, wood, paint, glue
My sculpture is oblivious and delusional to everything around him, except for one person his twinkling eyes are on. He expresses what it might feel like to fall in love for the first time. I imagine that one might feel completely confused with pressing and substantial desires. When you are deeply and passionately captivated by another, no one can tell you otherwise. If anyone tries to sway your emotions and influence your feelings of love it goes like the title says, “In one ear and out the other.”
Emma Graff
Healing the Hurt
New Smyrna Beach High
Teacher: Tina Curry
Grade 12
Materials: Acrylic paint
This was my first real painting; I am a digital illustrator at heart. I often distort the body in my artwork in distress or fear. Here it’s used to show a more optimistic scene than usual. The colors are bright and happy. It shows a very idealistic scene. I wanted the viewer to feel like they are witnessing something rare and beautiful. The goddess-like human seems to be consumed by her adoring crowd.
Sarah Hutto
With a Cherry on Top
New Smyrna Beach High
Teacher: Tina Curry
Grade 11
Materials: Photoshop
Glass of sugar icing so sweet. A dessert wonderland. This woman is a real treat. Cherry so bright. Set on display. Spoons in a fight. Decadence wafting in the candy air. Legs coated in cone. She lies in wait without a care. This honest ice cream Sunday becomes a seductive siren of great decadence.
Meadow LaRue
Voyeurism
North Marion High School
Teacher: Gloria Sed
Grade 11
Materials: Scratchboard collage
Contemplating the themes of desires, delusions, and delicacies brought to mind memories of childhood abuse. The piece deals with emotionally recovering from molestation as a result of an adult male’s delusions and inappropriate desires. In my piece, the eye of the woman represents my point of view in contrast to the eyes in the background which represent the menacing male view. The roses represent beauty and female blossoming or coming of age. The hands symbolize the desire to touch or capture the object of desire without permission. The koi fish stand for strength, resilience and perseverance. I wanted to share this so that others know that they are not alone. I want to remind them of their beauty and strength and that their voice is powerful enough and deserving of being heard.
Sophia Adams
Amblyopia
Olympia High School
Teacher: Joanna Levine
Grade 12
Materials: Digital acrylic painting
The dictionary definition of amblyopia is “Impaired or dim vision, without obvious defect or change in the eye.” Overall, it is just a fancy word for “lazy eye.” I wanted the viewer to consider the parallels between this common condition and society. Many people don’t see the needs or wants of others as they are wrapped up in themselves, and in all cases blind to the world around them. My piece represents that blindness.
Levi Franke
Box of Things
Olympia High School
Teacher: Jenna Slater
Grade 12
Materials: Clay, glaze
Natalia Manna
Fish Kicks
Olympia High School
Teacher: Joanna Levine
Grade 10
Materials: Digital acrylic painting
This artwork regards dreams, their strange notion nevertheless angelical aesthetic. The subconscious taking hold of a body and redirecting it to a state of mind where all is possible. Where the fish represent the pressure that is surrounding one, almost suffocating them. In contrast, the shoes convey freedom and the nature of being flamboyant. Disregard of social holdings of the world, turning their persona into reality. The artwork represents the ability of dreams as reflections of desires.
Juliana Batchelor
The Marriage of Nature and Pastries
Osceola High School
Teacher: Lena Warner
Grade 11
Materials: Acrylic paint
My artwork is meant to represent my emotions at the time of creating it. Feelings of being alone and not much around, but happy for the things that did comfort me. It made me realize I am content with the little things that bring me joy.
Melissa Morales
Claws Creeping Over
Osceola High School
Teacher: Lena Warner
Grade 10
Materials: Colored pencil, marker
Dreams can be precious and innocent until one sudden turn. For my artwork, I took inspiration from multiple dreams that I had throughout my childhood with the same gigantic creature. I used colored pencils and markers to create this piece.
Fatima Almousawi
Book Swap
Oviedo High School
Teacher: Alicia Pope
Grade 11
Materials: Original photo, Photoshop
A book represents more than just a story on paper: it’s a desire to learn, it’s a delusion about escape from reality, it’s a dream to become part of the story. The book and the head switch like our connection to books; books eventually become an interchangeable part of ourselves. Surrealism is more than art form, it’s an expression of our desires in a world beyond reality.
Gracie Yarborough
SunWing Flower
Oviedo High School
Teacher: Natalie Sansone
Grade 10
Materials: Original photo, Photoshop
SunWing Flower displays butterflies and flowers that are often found together in nature. I have noticed that a butterfly’s wings are shaped like petals on a flower. This photo allowed me to dream of the bond the two subjects share as they dance around each other. It’s a dance of desire; butterflies find the nectar while they pollinate the flower.
Thao Diep
Untitled
Park Vista High School
Teacher: Laura Mambourg
Grade 11
Materials: Colored pencil
Layna Malave
Juice (Horses)
Pine View School for the Gifted
Teacher: Louis Miller
Grade 11
Materials: Colored pencil
Juice was ultimately inspired by my deep love and admiration for horses; I continually use them as subjects, so I just had to incorporate their natural beauty in this surrealist piece. Freefalling, the white horse lunges at his withdrawing, bay counterpart in a frenzied delusion, crowded by oversized, oversaturated fruits. Bulging from the sky, terrified equine eyes questioningly glare at the offender, disgracing his needless acts of aggression… “Why so greedy?”
Wesley McCoy
Left from Exodus
Pine View School for the Gifted
Teacher: Sharon Salamon
Grade 10
Materials: Colored pencil
The piece holds to the theme of delusion by presenting the blindness in one who thinks he’s alone. What’s shown is a man who has no eyes, hands, or feet. His feet and hands have been replaced with chains; these are chains of his own fault, yet he’s unable to see it. Far in the distance, there are people on cubes traveling away from the handless man, leaving him alone. He is Left from Exodus.
Jackie Wasserman
Bluff
Pine View School for the Gifted
Teacher: Louis Miller
Grade 10
Materials: Digital collage
This piece was inspired by the many sexual harassment cases reported by women over the years, and their desires that those who harass halt their delusions. To create this piece, I used the ”Procreate” app on iPad. All elements of the work were done by hand, apart from the cake, which was a picture I photographed myself. This work would be considered surreal because of the erratic ducks, cake, women, tongues, and water cooler.
Celina Coles
Botanophobia
River Ridge High School
Teacher: Ted LoCascio
Grade 12
Materials: Digital art
The surreal image I created depicts a rabbit getting tangled in jungle-type vegetation. My goal is for viewers to feel the emotion and urgency of the piece. My process was to first sketch it out on my iPad, line it, then color it in and add details. By doing so, I learned how to draw proportions better and make everything look more unified.
Alexi McCaffrey
Octo-Galactic Reign
River Ridge High School
Teacher: Ted LoCascio
Grade 11
Materials: Mixed media
I’ve always been interested in outer space and marine life, so for my artwork, I combined the two into a surreal image depicting an octopus as the king of the galaxies. What I learned from creating this work is that it sometimes takes a lot of trial and error to find a medium that works best and have it come together the way you imagined it in your head.
Kaja Ehrhardt
Numb
Seabreeze High School
Teacher: Kasondra Price
Grade 10
Materials: Marker
A lot of personal issues had been affecting me at the time and the theme helped me represent my feelings. I tried to express the sinking feeling of numbness through dark and dull color with sharp lines. Then I showed my desire of emotions with peaceful pastel colors and soft shapes. Feelings are complex and sometimes life feels like a surrealist piece.
Victoria Horsley
Garnished Guinea Pig
Seabreeze High School
Teacher: Christine Colby
Grade 11
Materials: Ceramic, mixed media
This ceramic Surrealist sculpture is a comparison of guinea pigs to potatoes. The body of the creature is a baked potato, complete with a rich hazel color, melted cheese and a pad of butter. Connected to the potato body is the head of the guinea pig, showing realistic details which highlight the unconventional nature of the piece. These parts were molded by hand before being scored and slipped together. One of the more important tools used was the clay rake, which enhanced the guinea pig‘s head by creating a furry appearance. While most Surrealist pieces portray a dark or seemingly mysterious theme, this sculpture was based around the idea of creating artwork that challenged that stereotype, resulting in a sculpture that is playful and thought provoking. My goal for this Surrealist sculpture is to bring a more lighthearted concept to this type of art. Through developing this sculpture, I was able to leave my comfort zone and make a piece that was different than any other I had created.
London Wright
Dreamland
Seabreeze High School
Teacher: Kasondra Price
Grade 11
Materials: Marker
To begin with, I struggled for inspiration for this piece. I did, however, pull up a random word generator and cherry picked the words I though best to go with the theme. “Delusions, Desires, and Delicacies” influenced me to combine the words in the best way possible, and as I worked on the piece I really connected with the concept. I used a mixture of dislocation and scale to create this artwork with my favorite part being coloring the honey and the blueberries.
Deidre Breen
No Longer human
Sebring High School
Teacher: Steven Van Dam
Grade 11
Materials: Watercolor
My message behind this piece was to make the viewer question how we treat the animals we see as food. I want the viewer to see the cruel reality of our actions by switching the roles of the predator and the prey. I channeled Dalí’s surrealist approach by playing with reality and people’s perceptions of living things.
Brooklyn Coke
Tangled Dreams
Sebring High School
Teacher: Steven Van Dam
Grade 12
Materials: Mixed media
For my Dali project I did a symbolic self-portrait, I wanted to illustrate myself through both the subject and style. I incorporated Dalí’s style of surrealism in the juxtaposition of the warm tones in the background and cool tones in the hair. My inspiration for this piece was to illustrate the calm and chaos of the unconscious mind.
Magaly Cruz-Colon
Anthophobia
Sebring High School
Teacher: Kristy Harris
Grade 11
Materials: Colored pencil, ink, graphite
“Anthophobia” means to fear flowers. Now I don’t have a fear of flowers, but I am fascinated by them and draw them to find out how they work in the natural world. They represent and symbolize many things. I also chose to draw these flowers because I love to find out different things about people who think differently from me. So wondering things like why people are scared of flowers is a very interesting concept for me. I picked pencil because I wanted to capture the dark and scary part of the phobia. I wanted the drawing to show people who fear flowers and suggest how that can feel for them.
Anna-Marie Ruano
Against the Glass
Sebring High School
Teacher: Steven Van Dam
Grade 12
Materials: Marker
During this pandemic, it has been extremely difficult to connect with people, whether that be in-person or virtually. It feels like there’s a barrier that holds us back and that we’re confined behind a sheet of glass or a piece of plastic. I wanted to show the desire and need for connection through this piece in an intense way.
Emma Edwards
Ing-Soc
Seminole High School
Teacher: Phi Yoba
Grade 12
Materials: Digital art
Art is all about trying to evoke emotion and imagination. I wanted to show my opinion about the philosophy of Legalism. I consider myself a Left-Wing Libertarian, so I am fundamentally opposed to this ideology. The concept of the State having complete control of my life sounds horrifying to me. Therefore, I wanted to display that fear with body horror. Fear is an honest emotion.
Vu Thang Le
Cat
Seminole High School
Teacher: Phi Yoba
Grade 12
Materials: Colored pencil
I was born in a rural village in Vietnam. I was interested in science, art, and animals when I was young. The Cat portrait expresses my appearance, spirit, and shape. The angles that I used are tilted, frontal, or three-quarter diagonal. I added angles to reflect in the background, or combinations of them. The portrait captures my expressions and the connections between humans and animals. We need to protect animals because they are our friends. Portraits show us what a person looks like, but they can also capture an idea of a person’s identity.
Kalla Dominguez
Ryou
South Miami Senior High School
Teacher: Lizzie Hunter
Grade 10
Materials: Gouache
Inspired by Japanese mythology, I sought to depict a whimsical scene that incorporated traditional Japanese dragons that seemingly escape their bounds. Exaggerations in the scale of the dragons and background in relation to the seated figure, as well as the use of a limited color palette, evoke a sense of mystery and dreaminess. I intend the viewer to infer for themselves the illustration’s narrative.
Emily Pilipczak
Flight to Paradise
Spruce Creek High School
Teacher: Melissa Cooper
Grade 9
Materials: Acrylic paint
My artwork is inspired by my desire to fly. I’ve dreamed that I’m flying above the clouds. This exhibit inspired me to portray those dreams in my artwork. I also envisioned that if I could fly, who’s to say fish can’t? So, I painted underwater life soaring above the clouds to a floating paradise. While painting, I thought of many new, unexpected ideas to make my artwork more intriguing.
Abigail Williams
Craving for the Crown
Sunlake High School
Teacher: Jill Hallauer
Grade 9
Materials: Marker, ink
Power has always been desired; people kill just for a title. Money is desired; some people steal it, while others people spend all of their days working just to hold it in their hand. Love is desired too; we see the longing for it in people every day. These simple delicacies – the power, the money, the love – can make people happy or tear the world apart.
Taylor Parramore
The Destination Tree
Suwannee High School
Teacher: Pamela Williams
Grade 11
Materials: Colored pencil
The floating tree in the sunset sky represents life and freedom. The tree represents life, normally being rooted in the ground and not going anywhere, just staying in one place. By making it float, the tree now has the freedom to do as it pleases, to not be rooted in one place. My artwork represents problems that I have endured, revealing my emotions.
Austin Tefft
Old Life for New Growth
Suwannee High School
Teacher: Traci Green
Grade 12
Materials: Clay, wood, wire
After I learned what surrealism was, I was inspired to make something that properly captured its bizarre nature. Many works of surreal art involve nature of some sort, whether that be fauna or flora, so I focused on making a human hand, since it provides a challenge; to properly sculpt the scaling and articulation. I added a wire flower that protrudes from the palm in a natural fashion in order to abide by surrealistic ideals.
Jake Wooley
The Creation of Man
Suwannee High School
Teacher: Traci Green
Grade 10
Materials: Colored pencil
Through the conception and composition of this piece, I broadened my stylistic approach, and by way of this, expand my future opportunities for artistic expression. In combination with embodying the surreal style of art, I also chose to allow the progress and overall feel of the piece itself to guide what elements I felt needed to be incorporated, a method that constructively challenged my normally articulate approach, thereby unlocking new creative outlets.
Grace Milton
Nightly Fantasia
The Classical Academy of Sarasota
Teacher: Krista Kauffman
Grade 10
Materials: Acrylic paint, ink
As a vivid dreamer, I find my subconscious’ experiences exciting, strange, and irrational; like surrealist art. I had a dream that inspired this work, my first surrealist artwork, of a mysterious figure who floats out of reach. His rare appearances are a “desire.” “Delicacies” are weird but magical moments in fantasia. As for “delusions,” my nightmares often feel so realistic when I know they aren’t. Weird or fun, I hope both are communicated in this work.
Luis Rosario
Sweet and Sour Power
Tohopekaliga High School
Teacher: Jackelyn Adkins
Grade 10
Materials: Colored pencil, ink
I heard that even though they are so adorable, pandas are actually some of the hardest animals to deal with in zoos since they are pushy and ruse to zookeepers. I though this would fit the exhibit’s theme of delusion as I feel most people think pandas would be a fluffy playful animal which they would like as a pet but in reality they suck. I like animals and I like the idea of animals being more thoroughly explores as there are lots of misconceptions towards wild animals and how the public perceives them which I feel is unfair since they are all very complicated creatures.
Jaidyn Holt
Dream Factory
Trinity Preparatory School
Teacher: Irina Ashcraft
Grade 11
Materials: Ink, colored pencil
I was inspired by my dreams: often strange, fantastical adventures with elements from my life experiences, books, movies, and the like. I wondered how such interesting dreams were created, which gave me the idea for my piece. During waking hours, my mind’s dream factory works to combine outside influence with imagination to produce all the necessary characters and props for that night’s dream.
Lene Mortimer
Brainburger
Trinity Preparatory School
Teacher: Irina Ashcraft
Grade 10
Materials: Ink, watercolor
The story behind this piece is a strange one. I wanted to express how my brain feels under stress, mainly very disjointed. As I started sketching, my art teacher came up behind me and looked at the piece. She said “That looks like a hamburger”, drew a toothpick, and left. My first thought after being speechless was “That’s genius”. Thus I frantically began working. This iteration of the piece conveys that disjointedness.
Azyra Hollingsworth
Dreamland Fantasy
Wellington Community High School
Teacher: Jerilyn Brown
Grade 11
Materials: Digital art
I wanted to try to explore self-portraiture through Surrealism. When thinking about what to do for this piece, I was reminded of two reoccurring dreams I had a long time ago. One was set in a dreamland filled with toys, bright colors and a waterfall; hence all the things I incorporated into my art, like the stuffed animals and water. The other dream wasn’t as colorful, quite white, black and dull. This dream was of a figure similar to Frankenstein’s monster, but in the place of the monster, it was myself. Hence, the cut pieces on my face and neck and the sketchy black and white parts.
Laurayna Pick
Feminine Fantasy
Wellington Community High School
Teacher: Jerilyn Brown
Grade 11
Materials: Watercolor
Heather Bucklen
Take a Bite, and It Takes a Look
West Port High School
Teacher: Jennifer Moore
Grade 11
Materials: Mixed media
I mainly focused on the ‘Delicacies’ part of the prompt, and I went with a chocolate covered strawberry mainly because I like drawing strawberries, but also they tend to be used as special treats for special occasions; anniversaries, valentines, etc., and I decided to make the seeds eyeballs because I love drawing eyeballs, and in some parts of the world, eyeballs (usually goat or sheep) are considered a delicacy.
Helen Dang
Goldfish Dreams
West Port High School
Teacher: Jennifer Moore
Grade 11
Materials: Pastel
The creation of my work of art started with the thought of incorporating goldfish, a type of snack I used to crave being one of the many delicacies I had and the cloud-like dream world as the background to give it the nostalgic illusion atmosphere where the food and clouds are real but the way they’re portrayed is unreal. I wanted to at least portray how my cravings work on a personal level where I crave a certain food or snack like goldfish so bad but not be able to eat them so I daydream or think about them instead leading to the creation of this piece. Some things I learned while making this piece is the amount of layering needed to blend certain colors like pink, lavender and yellowish gold. I also learned that due to some sharp and small corners that are hard to get in with the thick chalk pastels without messing up, paintbrushes for fine details were helpful in getting the small details needed and also blending. The white charcoal pencil was also important acting as a base on the paper to hold in the main color of the pastels and also giving the soft texture of the clouds when blending with it. The blending was better than just blending the pastels with ear swabs where the pastel dust would most likely lift off while the white charcoal kept more of it on the paper while also being a great highlighter as well. Making the clouds in different shades of it was my favorite part when creating the piece since it was easy to freely blend and also experimenting with the white charcoal pencil.
Charis Davis
Fruit Flies
Westminster Christian
Teacher: April Sharpe-Shirk
Grade 11
Materials: Colored pencil
I was inspired by the artist Wayne Theibaud for this piece-I liked the aesthetic of his colorful deserts. For the surreal aspect of it, I wanted it to look like something out of Alice in Wonderland. I’m also fascinated by insects, so this idea of a strawberry-butterfly cake seemed like a cool way to combine all those aspects. If someone were to get high on gummy vitamins instead of drugs, I think this delicacy is what they would see.
Camila Valdes
Anthropocene
Westminster Christian
Teacher: April Sharpe-Shirk
Grade 10
Materials: Gouache
The inspiration for Anthropocene came from learning to drive. At fifteen, I can grip the wheel, push the pedals and be in control of several lethal tones of metal. The feeling is powerful; a sense of control so unique to maneuvering a human made steel machine. From coffee machines to fighter jets, these inventions allow us to exist as if we were superior. We speed down empty roads like we are invincible, yet they are never truly empty (and we are not invincible). Human hubris leads us to forget the forces that were and here on Earth with us. We abandon coexisting with nature and seek dominance. Yet, nature has known to never really obey us; to be called back to its own hand before being herded by ours.
Ana Vega
Dolly Parton
Westminster Christian
Teacher: April Sharpe-Shirk
Grade 12
Materials: Acrylic, paint marker
Our desires are never without sin, we feel the most freedom when we do wickedness. This painting juxtaposes the sweet innocent nature of lambs with the sinfulness of humans. We want to be pure and free of blame; however, human nature typically pulls us in the opposite direction. In addition to our daily struggles to balance our desires, we construct delusions about those emotions as our guilt compounds.
Martha Mavrofrides
Raven
William R. Boone High School
Teacher: Nicole Moitoza
Grade 10
Materials: Marker
Emily Skipper
Tropical Phantom
William R. Boone High School
Teacher: Nicole Moitoza
Grade 9
Materials: Colored pencil
Kayla Martinek
Stomach Ache
Windermere High School
Teacher: Christine Murphy
Grade 11
Materials: Acrylic paint
This piece was inspired by the feeling of having butterflies in your stomach. By using acrylic, I was able to transfer the sensation of anxiety flooding your body and reaching finally reaching your gut. This visual look into this out-of-body experience is what helps make this artwork so surreal and out of the ordinary. By viewing this piece, I hope all onlookers will appreciate this rewarding and nerve-racking feeling that each and every one of us has experienced.
Ameer Tarawneh
Delicate
Wiregrass Ranch High School
Teacher: Paula Smith
Grade 12
Materials: Colored pencil
A lot of our desires are interwoven with our delusions. It can become hard to differentiate between what’s real and what isn’t, which is the inspiration behind this piece. The beaten baby, gum, and broken milk represent nostalgia, which has been twisted into a coping mechanism. Here, the knife alludes to reality. The collage-like look of the piece is akin to a microscope slide of a desperate mind.