The Eaton Red Ink staff wanted to recognize some of the fantastic artists who attend Eaton High School. In mid-October, announcements throughout the school were made, and a google form was sent to students via email, where they could submit their own original artwork for the contest.

On Nov. 1, the Red Ink staff voted for their favorite pieces. There were several great submissions to the contest, but in the end there were three definite winners. Ella Keenan (23) was the champion, Michell Vallejos (24) was the runner up, and Remi Grasmick (25) took third place.

Keenan submitted a painting of a golden retriever with a forest background that is very realistic and detailed. The time taken and the attention to detail is what made this winning artwork. Keenan said, “I worked really hard on that piece; It took about three weeks. It is the piece that I am most proud of. I took professional art lessons for five years to build my skills, and I hope to continue in college.”

Vallejos’ piece shows an individual shopping in a convenience store. While it’s a simple idea, she nailed the atmosphere and patterns. The piece is quite immersive. Vallejos said, “I’ve been drawing all my life, but my skills skyrocketed when covid hit. I was stuck in my house for nearly two years, and at the time, I didn’t have much else to do other than improve my skills. When I heard about the contest this year, I figured I might as well test my skills and submit something. I saw a photo of someone in a convenience store and got inspiration for the drawing. I worked on it every day until the end of the contest and submitted it.”

Grasmick’s submission has quite the story. She said, “‘I call my artwork ’Salma’. I originally wanted to draw Salma as a single mother working to become a lawyer. It was going to be a scene with her and her son sitting in the kitchen with a laptop sitting on the table displaying a website that says ’So You Want To Be A Lawyer?’ In the end, I opted to draw her as a young girl sitting ather window alone since I couldn’t find a pose or background that fit right with me. After I drew her, I decided to add some things I thought would look appealing to the work. I love the sky and stars so I added that, and I focused on small details like the light streetlight and the contrast of light and dark shading in the outside of her room and the tones of light inside. Drawing the hallway and the shelves full of her things was the biggest challenge. This art contest mostly excited me to share my creations with those who are also interested in art.”

Art is a very useful tool. Powerful emotions can be communicated through the various types of art that people create. Now, more than ever, the world needs artists, like these students, to keep it in check.