Jena on Jena

For as long as I can remember, I’ve always felt the need to draw. And over the years, my hobby continued to grow as I looked more and more into different styles and techniques of drawing and painting. My biggest inspiration will always be my grandfather, who, as an artist himself, showed me how to look at the world differently and tell what you see through art. It’s true that one aspect of art involves the technical skill, but I believe the power behind art is in the story. My favorite part of creating a piece is creating that feeling or idea people get when they view it and, hopefully, inspiring them, too. For me, art is one of the most influential and enriching parts of my life and is constantly with me. That is why I plan to further my skills and study art in college so I can do what I love later on in my life with a career in illustration, design or even animation. I hope one day to join the ranks of the storytellers who put together my favorite cartoons and movies, which continue to amaze and inspire me.

Reported by Xiaoyi Ren, King High

*Art by Jena Young: Black & white, pictured at bottom second from right; and self portrait, bottom right

Amanda on Amanda

I’ve been doing art ever since I was a little kid, but have developed significantly more as an artist in high school. I first got into art because I never really got into anything else, like sports or music — it just fit. Inspiration is usually drawn from nature and animals … in my AP art class I am currently working on a concentration of 12 pieces exploring different myths involving animals from around the world. I am creating these pieces because I enjoyed the idea of portraying a story in art, and I noticed that despite cultural differences, animals have spiritual values in almost all parts of the world. My favorite medium to use would probably be woodless colored pencils, which are glorified crayons, but I love to mix mediums to achieve different textures and depths in a piece. When I do my art … my mind moves a million miles a minute and I think about everything and anything. This can be overwhelming, but can also help me to know what is really on my mind or affecting me more deeply than I had previously thought.

Reported by Madeline Glassman, Lakewood High

*Art by Amanda Miller, pictured starting top left: Ika-Roa  (Maori), acrylic, 14” x 17”; Anansi And The Jar of Common Sense (Jamaican), woodless colored pencils, watercolor, and paste (bottom left); Airavata: King of The Elephants (Indian-Hindu)  16w 20h, watercolor and acrylic (bottom second from left)

On Exhibit features high school artists from the Tampa Bay area. Go to tb-two.com to see more work. If you know a high school student we should consider spotlighting (including yourself), please send the name, school, art medium and contact information to tbtwostaff@gmail.com. Put “on exhibit” in the subject line.