Shorecrest High junior Caroline Harrison is painting her way to Olympia!
"It feels really good," she said. "It's always really nice to be recognized for something that you've put a lot of work into."
On Sunday, March 13th, Harrison's new work, Self Reflect, was selected as one of seven regional winners by the Puget Sound Educational Service District. The exhibition featured 94 entries from 29 regional high schools.
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Self Reflect is going to the PSESD State Art Show in Olympia on May 20th.
Harrison started paining early. "I've basically been doing art all my life," she said. "My family's been really supportive and encouraging me to paint."
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"Once you start painting, you kind of get hooked and want to keep on going," she added.
Her work features her a reflection of Harrison painting in a mirror. A work painted in oils, it has a gentle, lyrical quality. The artist herself wears a pensive look of concentration as she creates.
The work represents the gamut of emotions that Harrison experiences through her art.
"Sometimes art is really frustrating," she said. "Sometimes it's sad." Her work captures that ambivalence.
"It goes deeper than just like painting and being instantly happy," she added.
Still, Harrison's years of experience serve her well. Often painting for her is a calming experience, too.
"I try to stay focused on what I'm doing in the moment and try not to think about all these external things," she said.
How does she know when a painting is done? "I think it's kind of the point where you have just a gut feeling inside where 'this is, this is good,'" she said.
The PSESD exhibition judges clearly felt the same way. The award winners and other works from the exhibition may be seen at www.psesd.org/artshow2011.
