Beach Scene

Abigail Kalbfus

Laguna Creek High School

12th Grade

Elk Grove Unified School District

The movement of the water using a grey scale to show its detail is successful. I reference Michelangelo's sketches: Simple, alternating strokes used to create depth and motion. I chose a Hawaiian beach, referencing the vacation I took with a childhood friend. It connects to my recurring theme; recreating  places I have travelled to, to  encapsulate the emotion I felt when visiting. The simplicity of the image is in reference to the inspiration behind Monet’s landscapes; serenity and accuracy.

Lock In

Ugochi Nze

Laguna Creek High School

12th Grade

Elk Grove Unified School District

This was intended to be a visual commentary on irony because the title is "Lock In', but as you can see, I drew myself asleep. I wanted to make it relatable for other high school students because I know they're going through the same experiences as myself.

Nature's Embrace

Frough Farmand

Laguna Creek High School

12th Grade

Elk Grove Unified School District

Inspired by Caspar David Friedrich’s “Two Men Contemplating the Moon” and Kathy Butterly’s “Like Butter,” I created a piece that fuses a flower with a human body, incorporating leaves that intertwine with its form. A crescent moon rests in the bottom right corner, enhancing the sense of tranquility. This artwork captures the beauty and interconnectedness of nature and humanity, reminding us that we are deeply rooted in the natural world. It symbolizes how nature holds us close and is essential to our lives, inviting us to embrace this bond.

Balance

Katelyn Saelee

Laguna Creek High School

11th Grade

Elk Grove Unified School District

My intention is to represent the cycle of life with the positive and negative aspects to the experience of life that is experienced. The koi fish traditionally symbolizes balance and perseverance in many cultures, which I implemented to represent the negative struggles that we often overcome in life. In addition to the different aspects and experiences that are encountered, we often have to balance the positive and negative to continue with life which is represented with the monochrome composition in this piece. 

Petrified

Holly Zeng

Monterey Trail High School

11th Grade

Elk Grove Unified School District

I drew this piece because I was thinking about the story of Medusa. She was a monster that turned anyone who looked at her into stone, petrifying them. But if we look at the story closely it’s more like it was Medusa that was petrified, because she was as victim of sexual assault. She was seen almost like a statue herself; something devoid of human emotion and feeling. And now she gets to get revenge on the same people who had hurt her. So before you think about what a monster she is, about how she turned innocent humans into stone, remember that she was a human first. And that’s why a bit of her is peeking out from underneath the grey stone — a sliver of the colorful human underneath. Because she was a human first.  

Keyanah Wilson

Folsom High School

12th Grade

Photography

Keyanah created this image to display her relationship with books, learning and her education from her perspective of having dyslexia.

Aliya Munoz

Mills Middle School

8th Grade

I made this look kind of fantasy and peaceful looking. I think paint was the best option for it because I was able to mix the colors to have a soft look. This is an assignment was about things that inspired us, so I did animals, nature, and detail/design.

Kion Williams

Mills Middle School

8th Grade

This painting is a sunset on the beach with a fire, a boat and others.

Maya Meza

Mills Middle School

8th Grade

A girl who wanders through the forest with her pet companions. She gets lost and her pets help her find her way through the beautiful forest.

Mekayla Burrus

Mills Middle School

8th Grade

The artwork is an assignment where we have to create an acrylic painting of three things that inspire you. I chose for my inspirations Nature, The Sea, My imagination, and outer space. The mediums I used were acrylic paint, tempera paint, and oil pastels.

Daniela Montoya

La Rosca

W.E. Mitchell Middle School

8th Grade

Mixed Media Collage

This collage represents the celebration of Los Tres Reyes Magos. On this holiday people sit around the table and eat La Rosca bread. Each person cuts into the bread and takes a bite. Baked into the bread is a baby Jesus figure- the person who finds the baby Jesus has to cook Tamales for the next family gathering.

Silence Within Deprivation

Angel Thow, CK McClatchy High School

9 x 12”

September 2024

Color Pencil & Copic Marker

This piece explores the complexities of communication in contemporary society through a visceral representation of myself. The act of attempting to sew my mouth shut with a needle symbolizes the barriers we face in expressing our true selves, reflecting personal experiences of frustration and isolation.This piece is inspired by surrealism, particularly the works where distorted realities unveil deeper psychological truths, allowing depth in emotional expression. The asemic writing translates into “Societal Deprivation.” The process involved experimentation with materials, emphasizing the tension between vulnerability, ultimately resulting in a striking visual dialogue on the human condition. I sought to balance chaos and clarity, inviting individuals to confront their own perceptions of deprivation and the complexities of identity. 

Trash to treasures

Caroline Kline, CK McClatchy High School

11 x 13 inches 

November, 2024

Oil Pastel 

The transformation from old bottles to beautiful sea glass is a symbol for the inner transformation that happens when you choose to create a better life for yourself. Using different colored bottles, it represents how there are many ways to creating a better version of yourself. Sea glass is made by going through the rough sea. It takes many years, and eventually washes up on the beach. While old bottles are seen as trash, going through rough things and moving past them makes you come out as treasure eventually. 

Melt

Isaac Hull, CK McClatchy High School

12” x 9”

9/9/2024

Graphite pencil

To further my inquiry into the effects of music on reality, I chose to depict the fading nature of memories through an instrument that I have played for many years; the viola. The face melting into the instrument shows how our memories fade but the shriveled face appearing at the other end shows that through musical experiences, we can still hold on to our past.

Still Life Of The Poet’s Scattered Heart

Matilda McKinzie, CK McClatchy High School

9 in x 12 in

November 2024

Alcoholic markers, colored pencils, white gel pen

I explored how I can use objects to convey personal symbolism in a beautiful way. I was inspired by the dramatic still lifes of Dutch masters, and used heavy symbolism and dramatic lighting to enhance the objects. A pair of opera glasses refracting light represent my golden perception of my world. A stoic mourning dove symbolizes complex grief, as well as the candle in the reflection that has flickered out. I utilized flowing shadows to strengthen the composition, and used warm, saturated colors to emphasize the themes.

Elena

Vasco Corte-Real, CK McClatchy High School

9x12”

November 2024

Color pencils and oil pastel

Transfiguration consists of a complete change of form or appearance into a more beautiful or spiritual state. I personally see dreams as transfigurations. We dream when we are in our most profoundly peaceful state and dreams allow us to assume the most varied forms and manifestations. I decided to display a contrast between dreams and reality, and supported that contrast specifically through the color choice. The female figures in various colors symbolize the different types of dreams that one might have and the curvy lines that involve them and unite them to the sleeping woman are meant to represent chaos and the connection between the individual and their subconscious. For the colorful female figures I chose to experiment with oil pastel, because it is a medium that is soft and harder to control, just like dreams. The woman laying on the bed was produced with colored pencils, due to the fact that it is a hard, clean and precise material, symbolizing reality (in opposition to a dream).

Sheena Li

Pony Express Elementary

2nd Grade

Sacramento City Unified School District

Emily Aguilar

Nicholas Elementary

5th Grade

Sacramento City Unified School District

Jacky Wei

Nicholas Elementary

Kindergarten

Sacramento City Unified School District

Milianna Thao

Nicholas Elementary

3rd Grade

Sacramento City Unified School District

Rosella Ramos

Nicholas Elementary

6th Grade

Sacramento City Unified School District

Luke Ngo

School of Engineering and Sciences (SES)

9th Grade

Sacramento City Unified School District

Landrum

VOYA

Sacramento County Office of Education

Ragsdale

VOYA

Sacramento County Office of Education

Perez

VOYA

Sacramento County Office of Education

Duplechan

VOYA

Sacramento County Office of Education

Duplechan

VOYA

Sacramento County Office of Education

Ayers

VOYA

Sacramento County Office of Education

Ojeda

VOYA

Sacramento County Office of Education

Finley

VOYA

Sacramento County Office of Education

Finley

VOYA

Sacramento County Office of Education

Finley

VOYA

Sacramento County Office of Education

Lily Johnson

Bella Vista High School

12th Grade

San Juan Unified School District

Annabelle Boites

Cowan Elementary School

5th Grade

San Juan Unified School District

Walk in the Forest

Dzhamilia Khabbullaieva

Del Campo High School

12th Grade

San Juan Unified School District

Watercolor, Ink, gel pen

For my painting "Walk in the Forest" I used ink for the background and watercolor for the center. I was inspired by our family trip to a beautiful place, and in fact the people reflected in the mirror are my dad and my two younger sisters. That day we were stuck for a long time with a broken down car right in the middle of the national park and with my painting I wanted to show that positive and bright moments can be found even in hopeless situations.

Hunter Collins

Earl Le Gette Elementary

4th Grade

San Juan Unified School District

Michael Jackson, 2025

Fatima Brittenum, 9th Grade, Encina HS

12"x16" Acrylic on Canvas

Fatima chose Michael Jackson for her Black History Month Portrait. 

Fatima says, "I chose to paint Michael Jackson because he is my favorite singer, and I found out he also created art as a painter. I chose to paint Smooth Criminal because it is my favorite song and I knew I'd be able to show a lot of color and movement."

Art Teacher: Ms. Natalie Reynoso

natalie.reynoso@sanjuan.edu 

Lilly Crouchley

Gold River Discovery Center

8th Grade

San Juan Unified School District

Mariana Ochoa Amezcua

Gold River Discovery Center

2nd Grade

San Juan Unified School District

Amy Dang

Greer Elementary School

3rd Grade

San Juan Unified School District

Leon Huttman

Babcock Elementary School

1st Grade

Twin Rivers Unified School District

Breanna Mejia

Grant Union High School

12th Grade

Twin Rivers Unified School District

Khaedyn Benoit and Xavier Gallaread

Grant Union High School

9th Grade

Twin Rivers Unified School District

Kylie Bruce

Highlands High School

9th Grade

Twin Rivers Unified School District

Zuhal Karimi

Pioneer Middle School

8th Grade

Twin Rivers Unified School District

Ce'Nay Hudson

Regency Park Middle School

7th Grade

Twin Rivers Unified School District

October Vierra

Rio Linda High School

10th Grade

Twin Rivers Unified School District

Ayden Vang

Strauch Elementary School

2nd Grade

Twin Rivers Unified School District

Mark Babarin

Woodridge Elementary School

3rd Grade

Twin Rivers Unified School District