Congratulations to Harborfields High School students Makayla French and Kyra Saunders whose artwork was chosen by the Huntington Arts Council’s for its “Arts Cultural News” magazine and “High Arts Showcase XVII.”
Each year, the Council provides high school students with the opportunity to submit their artwork for the gallery. The organization’s “JOURNEY Arts in Education Program”
provides students with first-hand industry experiences from submitting entries and writing bios to promotion and interaction with the community.
As a senior, Makayla has boiled down her love of art to a single word: “freedom.” Drawing inspiration from Green Day’s “be you” attitude, as well as her high school art teacher Elizabeth DeVaney, Makayla has explored her passion without boundaries.
Starting in middle school, she has experimented with sculpture, digital painting, dry mediums like chalk pastel, computer art and portraiture.
Her recent portrait, titled “Lover’s Dawn,” reflects one of Makayla’s favorite myths. Using dark blue to represent the night sky and a rich amber to symbolize the day, Makayla manipulates colors and imagery to portray the story of the sun and the moon as forbidden lovers.
Makayla is a member of the National Art Honor Society and currently serves as vice president of the high school’s art club. In the 2020-21 school year, she has won the National PTA Reflections program at both the school and county level, and is currently in the running for state.
Each year, more than 300,000 students in grades Pre-K-12 create original works of art in response to a student-selected theme. This 50+ year-old program helps them explore their own thoughts, feelings and ideas, develop artistic literacy and increase confidence.
After graduation, Makayla plans to study biology and will continue to pursue her passion for art as a hobby.
Kyra’s passion for art, which she described using only one word: “motivation,” began when she was a child. For years, she has explored different art forms, ranging from video game and anime fan art to her latest passion: digital art.
In fact, it was her most recent digital drawing that was selected by the Huntington Arts Council for front page publication.
Her piece, though untitled, uses plant imagery and symbolism to tell a story. This drawing in particular uses raspberries to represent love and passion.
Ms. DeVaney described Kyra as “humble, modest and driven.” “Really her skill level is far beyond her junior year,” she said.
Kyra, a member of both the National and National Art Honor Societies, has won several Art Student of the Month awards, Reflections at the school level, as well as Excellence in Art awards as a freshman and sophomore.
Now, as a junior, Kyra can see a future in pursuing art and plans to do so after graduation.
Both Makayla’s and Krya’s pieces will be put on display at the Art Council’s Main Street Gallery in Huntington from March 19 – April 10. The Council will celebrate both artists during a virtual opening of the exhibit in March.