While Notre Dame-Cathedral Latin Senior Christiana Paul hopes her art will impact the lives of others, it has also touched her own life.
While Notre Dame-Cathedral Latin Senior Christiana Paul hopes her art will impact the lives of others, it has also touched her own life.
Christiana was recently awarded the Visual Arts Scholarship by the National Society of High School Scholars, winning $2,000 for her artwork.
“I received the news in October after a school day and immediately told my parents,” she said in a March 4 interview. “I felt so happy that my hard work and passion for art had been recognized.”
Christiana, who had been invited to join the society over the summer, was required to submit two original pieces of art for consideration, along with a title and description.
Her contenders are two vastly different pieces — a photograph of two horses titled, “Equine Embrace,” and a still-life drawing titled, “Perspective.”
“Equine Embrace” was photographed at Lake Metroparks Farmpark in Kirtland, where Christiana began photographing animals during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Due to the circumstances, my mom would drive me up to the farm during the evening, where we could watch the sunset and see the animals. I started bringing my camera and now have a collection of photos that feature horses, cows and sheep,” Christiana said.
Animals are one of her favorite subjects to capture and “Equine Embrace” in particular is one of her favorite photos.
“I instantly knew I wanted to submit ‘Equine Embrace’ for the scholarship because of how wholesome it is,” she said. “As an animal lover, I believe this picture represents the joy that animals can bring into your life. Additionally, I believe the black and white editing adds a vintage touch to the photograph, emphasizing the contrast in color of the two equines.”
“Perspective,” meanwhile, was chosen because of how it challenged Christiana.
The charcoal still-life drawing took the artist about two weeks to complete. Prior to creating it, Christiana had never used charcoal and had only attempted a still-life piece once.
“I remember how frustrating the process was due to charcoal smudging easily, in addition to the fact that it was the only material we could use,” she said. “However, I believe that ‘Perspective’ is a testament to my hard work and determination to not give up and have an open mind while working through the ‘ugly phase’ of the piece.”
The piece was created as part of Christiana’s Drawing and Painting I class, where they assembled the still-life together and then each student drew it from a different perspective.
“Because I wanted the stuffed bunny to be the focal point of my drawing, I decided to place it in the center of the other items,” she said. “While some (students) decided to use the sides or back of the still-life for their piece, I wanted to utilize the front as a reference. That way, I was able to include every item in my drawing.”
A self-taught artist, Christiana described her skills as developing through trial and error.
“Even when learning from a professional or teacher, I prefer to experiment and try different methods on my own,” she said. “For example, when I was given my first Canon camera, I took the liberty of figuring out how to use it by myself. Eventually, I sought help from YouTube videos, but I felt satisfied that I was able to discover various features of the camera on my own. Similarly, when I first started painting, I would watch Bob Ross videos and follow along with him.”
It was a middle school teacher who first recognized Christiana’s aptitude for the subject and began to push her. Now, an advanced placement art student, she has had the chance to experiment with a variety of mediums and form her own style.
“Art is very therapeutic for me as it offers an avenue to express myself and relax. Whenever I’m creating, whether it be for a school project or a personal piece, I feel at peace and refreshed,” she said.
She prefers several mediums working together and often uses watercolor as a base, oil pastels for texture and colored pencils for details.
Receiving the scholarship has encouraged Christiana’s ambitions to open an art business and she is currently working on a website where her pieces will be sold as prints.
Looking to the future, Christiana plans to minor in studio art at Kenyon University, where she has committed to play volleyball.
She intends to take either a pre-law or pre-veterinary track, and hopes to inspire and improve the lives of others.
“I want my art to inspire other people to take their passions seriously and I hope my creations can make a positive impact in other people’s lives,” she said.
Christiana advises any future seniors applying for the scholarship to keep an open mind when selecting their art.
“Pick a drawing or photograph that means something to you and that you’re the proudest of,” she said. “It’s easier to write about an artwork that has deep meaning and gets you excited to share with others.”
