Thomas Repass, March 7th, 2024
My eyes meet hers. Gray bags sink beneath large, piercing eyes. She grins at the edges of a considerable bottom lip, head tilted downward. Her hand reaches to her throat, fingers unnatural as she grabs and strains. What I’ve just described is a daily sight on my walk to theater class, feeling the eyes of Enya Armstrong’s charcoal self portrait.
For those who take the time to walk down the right side of the brain, our aptly named Fine Arts wing, you will find an assemblage of extraordinary art by BHS students just like Enya. Tacked to the walls
are masterpieces of pastel and watercolor, as well as a considerable number of portraits in paint and charcoal. On my daily walks I admire this art, and therefore have decided to cover in detail why BHS students should take time to do the same.
On arriving you come face to face with a variety of hybrid pen and ink/watercolor images. Scanning them, you’ll see a number of pieces dedicated to one image fading into another. I personally enjoy the surrealist interpretation of an 8 Ball becoming an eye by Sophia H. in 9th grade, as it evokes a sense of an infinitesimal gaze. As you continue on, several value portraits begin to emerge in brightly painted colors. Pink faces grin maniacal expressions at you and cool-colored children gaze with blank stares. When considering these paintings I will note that you must appreciate the use of color as a means of expressing light. My preferred painting is of a green girl, done in at least five shades from emerald to pine. She’s rather pointed in her expression of a down-turned lip with eyes that stare directly into yours. As I look I can’t help but wonder what she’s thinking, what she would think of me.
In addressing the white and black scratch board etchings opposite of the portraits, I have no favorite. By this I mean they rival each other, some in beauty, some in complexity, and others in subject. There’s one of Icarus with expertly made wings, white feathers giving way to the image of fingers grasping for a bright sun. Beneath it on the wall is a shoulder, etched out with a butterfly resting gently against it. Beneath that, a planet and the infinite galaxy. On and on they capture attention.
Down the hall we descend toward hybrid pen and ink/watercolors, done by our Art 1 class in Block 1. There’s a variety of animals, mostly aquatic, but one painting sticks out to me. Autica Miller, 11th grade student, has a ghastly and intriguing scene. Done in a few shades of mauve the piece is provocative in its twists and turns, tree branches creeping in at the edges. Center stage of a river is three gnarled trees, seemingly swaying in the wind, finally giving way to a lovely dancer on the far right. Behind her the river floats in a Van Gogh-esque swirl and to the left a black lotus balances the use of light and shadow. As I continue down the hallway we come upon everyday objects painted in Warhol-esque coloring, and across from them a stunning charcoal piece by Braden Henderson of hands emerging from his chest, opening flesh as if a suit. There are colored pencil drawings that look as if they're photographs and finally I stop before a cluster of work outside of Mr. Rowland's room. Max Bibleau has a captivating charcoal here entitled, “Naturaleza Muerta.” On a card beneath he explains that ‘still life’ in Spanish is naturaleza muerta, meaning in a literal sense ‘dead life’. To capture this essence Max takes the viewer across the span of time. The left area is life, flowers bloom and fruit is ripe and a small mouse sits in the corner. To the right is death, life given way to rotten fruit and decaying flowers, flies buzzing above the assorted bones of our small mouse.
As I plan to move on with Mathilda Grant’s work she appears suddenly along with Hailey Ogle. The two are remarkable young women, each with a collection of fine work under their belt. Mathilda removes a few pieces and replaces them with a dressed doll, the notable and unique beauty being its head and arms are feline rather than child-like. Hailey puts up a piece beside her which I automatically grasp as Persephone, the Goddess of Spring. Made in a frenzy of pink with pomegranate-like intrusions, the face is itself a ghostly figure. The whole of the drawing strikes me with its power, as if a retelling of a woman unconstrained; force of will slashed across canvas, she is freedom and fire all at once.
I’ve come to the end of the hall, and only a few portraits and sketches are left. I watch Hailey and Mathilda walk away and am struck with the reality that these artists walk among us in the halls of Blacksburg High. They drink upon the nectar of boredom and banality to transform it into irresistible artworks. I’m almost sad as the bell rings, knowing that my time is up in this gallery of great students, but I smile. After all, I walk to lunch with the eyes of artists upon me. Be sure to check out their artworks now: the collection is ever changing!
(Photo credits: All taken by Thomas Repass. First image drawn by Enya Armstrong. Second image drawn by Max Bibleau. Third image drawn by Hailey Ogle)
Comments