The Adams 12 District does a yearly art show, celebrating talented young artists from all across the district. Pieces that are selected are then displayed in the Adams 12 Educational Support Center for a year. This year was Adams 12´s 21st yearly show, in which I got the honor of having a piece submitted. I´ve always had a deep love and passion for art in every sense of the word. Although I´ve made art and taken art classes for years, I´ve never considered or had a piece submitted before. It felt very full circle to have a piece submitted my senior year. The show was set up in a gallery walk fashion, with drinks and snacks to enjoy while perusing all of the art submissions. It was such an honor to have my piece surrounded by so many other talented artists. The piece I had submitted was titled, ¨Ode to Mary Olive: Beetles & Pomegranates¨.

 I used a mix of media including watercolor and pen. My piece was inspired by Mary Oliver’s poem ¨Wild Geese¨. Mary Oliver´s work is truly so beautiful and moving, and I felt I must create something as an ode to her genius. ¨Wild Geese¨ speaks directly to the reader, imploring them to not focus on what they have done or what they will do, but to be true to themselves and the natural world around us. We often drown in the idea of creating the most out of ourselves, and Mary Oliver´s piece implores us to take a breath, observe nature, and appreciate the little things in life. 

My watercolor piece consists of two smaller pieces, meant to imitate a post stamp. On the top is a green june beetle, with the first half of Mary Oliver’s poem in the background, and on the bottom is a pomegranate with the rest of Mary Oliver’s poem behind it. One of my favorite things about art is how much depth and feeling can be put into a simple brush stroke. I knew I had to incorporate a meaning to tie into Mary Oliver’s poem, so my painting subjects were picked carefully. Beetles are found to symbolize profound change and growth, often symbolizing a time of inner transformation and growth. I thought this tied nicely into Mary Oliver´s message of being true to yourself through the discovery of what´s always been around us. My split open pomegranate also holds a deeper message. Pomegranates are often seen as symbols of sanctity and abundance, the peace and joy of simply being. My pomegranate is split open with seeds exposed, to encourage the idea of this sanctity. In a similar fashion to Mary Oliver asking us to do what we can, and be what we are.

 I absolutely loved the process of creating these pieces, and I´m incredibly proud of what I submitted. I´m very grateful for all the support I received whilst creating my piece from Mr. Cain, an art teacher at Horizon High School. I’m beyond grateful for the opportunity given to me to share my artwork, and such a beautiful work of writing. I can’t wait to see what other art related opportunities come my way.