The master of surrealism, Salvador Dali was instrumental in popularizing the strange genre of art. Area students have studied his work and found inspiration in his bizarre images that combine reality with dream-like landscapes and iconography for the second annual state exhibit.
This year, four Plant City students will show at the Salvador Dali Museum for the “Change is Strange” state exhibit. Tomlin Middle student Charlie Ray and Plant City High students Morgan Napper, Luis Arellano and Logan Self beat out the hundreds of entries to make it onto the famous walls of the museum. Only 85 were good enough to snag a framed spot.
It’s only the second year the Dali Museum has had a statewide show. Hillsborough has had its own show for the past five years. Pinellas also has hosted its own show.
“We need to promote the arts,” Ray’s teacher, Ric Edgemon, said. “These kids are really talented.”
Plant City High School art teacher Nicole Carpenter agreed.
“There’s a lot of talent that comes out of this area,” Carpenter said. “I don’t think they realize.”
The exhibit will be open from June 6 to Sept. 1.
“It’s an amazing show,” said Bethany Mead, an education coordinator for the Dali Museum. “Our visitors, who come from all over the world, really enjoy and appreciate the student shows we have on exhibit.”
CHARLIE RAY
Edgemon calls his student a computer whiz. But Charlie Ray calls himself a computer nerd.
The 14-year-old excels at Photoshop, studying the craft in Edgemon’s digital art class.
“He’s actually helped teach the class,” Edgemon said. “He’s that good at using computers.”
So, when Edgemon saw the guidelines for this year’s statewide exhibit, he knew a past project of Ray’s would fit perfectly.
Titled “Reach for the Stars,” the manipulated photograph features a constellation in the form of a bear.
“We basically had to chose a metaphor out of a list and incorporate a plant or animal into the portrait by making fun of it or proving the metaphor,” Ray said.
When Ray found out it was accepted, he was thrilled.
“I just think it’s really cool,” Ray said. “I thought it was a great piece and all but never thought it was good enough to be in a museum.”
Ray had his first introduction to computers in third grade with a PowerPoint presentation. Since then, he’s been teaching himself more about graphic software. He’s certified in Microsoft Office and uses Photoshop Elements 9 at home. He hopes to continue his career by taking photography as an elective when he enters Plant City High School next year.
“There’s a bunch of different things you can do with art,” Ray said.
MORGAN NAPPER
Morgan Napper already has won an Award of Excellence at the Hillsborough exhibit last month. And she’s not stopping there.
Another untitled piece has made it into the state exhibit, as well. Done in pen and watercolor, the piece is a face with splotches of color that seem to resemble flower blooms. The piece was a project for class.
“We had to combine elements of color and how they pop next to each other with other elements of portraiture,” Napper said. “I really focused on the eyes and didn’t include a lot of other details of the face.”
Napper started her art career in the sixth grade at Tomlin Middle School. Now a junior, she is happy with her progress.
“It’s really neat and a huge blessing to have talent because it is so rare,” Napper said.
This year, the 17-year-old took 2D III with teacher Nicole Carpenter.
“Morgan’s not afraid to take risks and she is really good at critiques,” Carpenter said. “That’s something the students really struggle with. Morgan is eager to hear her critiques and rework.”
LUIS ARELLANO
It was the day of submission deadline when Carpenter sent out her last notice to students to enter a piece.
Luis Arellano was one of the few that took the opportunity that day. But, he didn’t even have a piece to enter. In one hour, he came up with a winning concept and executed it using Photoshop. Using his fellow classmate as a model, the 17-year-old photographed her holding a camera.
Then, he switched her head for the camera, calling the piece, “Make Your Passion Your Life.”
“I saw something similar on Instagram and thought it was neat,” Arellano said. “Everywhere I go, I take pictures of everything.”
His love of photography started when he was in elementary school. His parents bought him disposable cameras to practice. In middle school, he stopped taking pictures. But, in high school, the hobby came back.
“A picture shows a lot of memories and stories that you can forget about,” Arellano said. “But, you can’t forget a picture.”
Arellano took Photo III with Nicole Carpenter this year.
“Luis is dedicated, because when I ‘threatened’ them to submit something to the show … I sent it to everyone and not everyone took the opportunity,” Carpenter said. “He even got out of another class to work on it. It was something he hadn’t even started.”
LOGAN SELF
Logan Self’s photography is haunting.
The untitled piece depicts a girl opening a birdcage. Her head has been replaced with that of a raven.
“I like taking pictures of nature, and I like to incorporate it,” Self said. “Sometimes, you can feel caged, very trapped.”
The 16-year-old used her Canon 23i to shoot the photograph of her classmate and then manipulated it with Photoshop.
“I like that you can change a photo and do things that aren’t in real life,” Self said.
Self got her start with photography in seventh grade, using her parents digital camera to take nature pictures and shoot short video skits. She takes Photo II with Nicole Carpenter.
“She had hers done early and it was ready to go,” Carpenter said. “I’m really excited about Logan especially as a sophomore getting into the show. It gets her excited and she has so much potential.”
Contact Amber Jurgensen at ajurgensen@plantcityobserver.com.
