The Small Works Invitational opened last Monday at the Choate House Art Gallery. The annual event features high school artists from all over Westchester County.
Pieces in the show vary in mediums; some are stories told through photojournalism, collages, paintings and several others. There are many that certainly standout amongst the 187 pieces featured.
Some of the best work comes from Edgemont High School located just south of Tarrytown. Olivia Mowrer’s (piece number 178) digital photography piece titled “Living the Super Life” features a girl with black paint over her eyes. There’s a lot of raw emotion in this piece and suggests that even average people can be ‘super’. The use of light really adds a dramatic touch to it as well.
Another digital photography shot comes from Lilianna Christie titled “Struggle” (piece 174), also from Edgemont High School. It depicts an old woman attempting to get up the stairs. The beauty behind this photo lies in its mystery and color; between the shrouded woman and the setting that the photo takes place makes the viewer curious as to what the story was behind it. Even though it is a digital photo, the shot could very be easily a printed photo because of the way the color pops.
Photographs by Alan Muina titled “Chipped Skin” (piece 88) and “Self Portrait” (piece 89) by Santiago Rainmondi from Ossining High School reflect similar themes and were beautifully matched together by Professor Kathryn Marohn. The two images display vivid imagery of abuse or neglect. Their darker undertones are unlike any of the other pieces in the show.
Stepping away from photography, “Perspective City, Mondrian Style” (piece 49) by Juliana Iral from Lakeland High School pays homage to the great Piet Mondrian who played a vital role in the De Stijil movement, which is one of the pillars of modern art. Similar to Mondrian’s style, Iral uses straight lines and prime colors to develop an aerial view of a city. It’s an awesome piece because it’s a more modern development of Mondrian’s style, that even novice art connoisseur’s can grasp.
Adding a touch of surrealism to the show, Temma Pelletier (Walter Panas High School) piece 112)), untitled digital piece displays an eye looking at dozens of suited men in bowler hats. It’s unlike most of the pieces because of its randomness. The piece looked like it could be an updated version of one of Salvador Dahli, seeing that I’m a big fan of his it resonated with me well.
A bleak collage by Victoria Navarro titled “Beautiful Regrets” could be described as a personal piece or a commentary on life. At times it looks like she could be talking about the 1950’s because some of the images date back to then. But then again it could also be about her personal regrets. I thought some of the placement she decided to go with was clever and humorous.
One of my favorite parts of the show was seeing how some of the most iconic modern artists influenced these teens. Overall the Small Works Invitational was successful in bringing in some of Westchester’s best artistic talent. Reviewing their work reassured me that there is still plenty of undiscovered talent out there. The Small Works Invitational will run until March 26th in the Choate House Gallery.