The CPHS art students recently competed in the Scholastic Art and Writing awards and a handful of them brought home awards such as bronze key, silver key and gold key. The students created a unique piece of artwork that they submitted to be judged on the skill in their craftsmanship and presentation of the piece. Many central Texas middle school and high schools compete in this competition that has grown tremendously in size in just a few years. Works of art that received the highest award, the gold keys, took much effort and time to create. Senior Emily Reed received a gold key for her work that she calls “Amethyst Geode.”

“My piece took a total of about four weeks to construct,” Reed said. “It consisted mostly of creating small rectangular prisms and cutting each individual piece to resemble a gem. I started off the piece by using both black dyed clay and cinco blanco clay to create a marbled, earthy stone shell for the base. I laid a large rock I had previously found. I then proceeded to make about a hundred gems, each individually attached to the shell base. A couple of weeks later, i glazed the inside a light lavender to resemble the amethyst stone look I was going for. To try and add an extra sparkle, I added purple glass to the stones.”

Winners of the gold key award have the opportunity to attend an art show in New York where their work will be displayed. Senior Madison Jater was awarded a silver key for a drawing that she submitted.

“I titled the illustration ‘Owl and Bones’ mainly because that’s what I drew,” Jaster said. “The media I used was pen and ink. So it was only in black and white yet it still had a ton of detail.”

A number of honorable mentions were given to artwork that portrayed adequate skill like Senior Amanda Bosse.

“I got honorable mention for my portfolio.” Bosse said. “In AP photography we’ve been picking and editing our best photos so my portfolio was a collection of my favorite pieces that I had taken to date.”

If you see any of these girls around make sure to congratulate them on their awards for their artwork.