Budding Young Artists

Zoe Galle Mosaic in the style of Chuck Close

Happy Sunday Mes Amis -
I hope this day finds you gloriously happy and filled with peace.

It was a fabulous weekend here on the coast. This sleepy little town was abuzz with activity and action. Good for the economy, good for the locals, good for the soul...

The highlight for me was Friday night, when I had the good fortune of attending the Half Moon Bay High art show with my son Johno.
As it turned out, unbeknownst to either of us his mask was selected for the exhibit. (Yes I'm proud)
It was a juried show and the pieces on display were amazing.
It's hard to wrap one's head around the fact that these young teens who've had such a limited amount of life experience, and yet they possess an artistic maturity that allows the vulnerability of who they are to emerge and flow forth so freely. To witness the maturity of work from their youthful hands, was akin to witnessing their young souls commune with God.

Sarah Knight "Best of Show"

"Clash of Colors"

This is Johno's mask which I'm sure was heavily influenced by his overly active obsession with the online game World of Warcraft.
I must admit when I first saw it I was taken back a bit. Maybe even a little horrified by the fact that it was created by my son. I recognize the artistic creativity in it, but wondered what it means. My son always says I'm way too analytical and "I think too much" but,
the more I studied it though and looked for the meaning in it the less anxious I became, until I finally asked him what his mask represented to him, and here's what he said "It's a mask of conflict. It represents the internal struggle between staying rooted where he is and has always been or choosing to leave that life behind and move forward. The clash of colors represents the futility of war based upon differences of color and territory. Johno will be graduating from high school in 2 weeks, a pivotal time fraught with internal struggle.