See the 16 students selected as semifinalists in the specialties of ceramics, drawing, mixed media, painting, and sculpting and other 3D art.
Out of 127 nominees, the following 16 students have been selected as semifinalists for the 2023 Artist of the Year in fine arts. The students were chosen by a panel of teachers based on written statements and art portfolios.
Included are links to their work, the specialty in which they were nominated, and quotes about how they relate to their craft.
Fine artists were nominated in the specialties of ceramics, drawing, mixed media, painting, and sculpting and other 3D.
During the final round of adjudication, students are interviewed by a panel of distinguished artistic professionals and faculty members from Southern California universities. Interviews include a live presentation by the students followed by a question-and answer-session.
One finalist in each specialty will be named as well as an overall Artist of the Year in each of the seven disciplines – theater, dance, instrumental music, vocal music, film and TV, media arts and fine arts.
The finalists and Artists of the Year will be announced next Sunday, April 30.
On Wednesday, May 10, an awards ceremony will be held at Memorial Hall on the campus of Chapman University which is free and open to the public. This event will include performances and presentations by the top students.
This program is generously sponsored by the Chapman University College of Performing Arts. Additional support is provided by the Dodge College of Film and Media Arts.
If you would like to become a sponsor for the Artist of the Year program, contact Heide Janssen at ocartistoftheyear@gmail.com.
Angela Bang, junior, Atelier: Creative Art Studio
Specialty: Painting (watercolor and acrylic paint)
See artist’s portfolio
“How can I define being an artist when my motivation, my very reason for being an artist, is different every time I pick up a pencil? When I channel a different piece of myself for every work I produce? Tracing back to my most recent works, there is a common thread that runs through them; a thread that is easily missed, but is powerfully eminent: the urgency to create. This is my answer to (these) questions. To be an artist is to be compelled to create; to find your voice is to be able to clearly express to the viewer why you must create.”
Emely Jasmin Ceballos, senior, St. Margaret’s Episcopal School
Specialty: Ceramics (low-fire clay)
See artist’s portfolio
“I think we are all born with the abilities and creativity needed to make beautiful and intricate art. But, an artist is someone who takes advantage of these skills to express the beauty (or pain) they see in the world through their own unique lens. To be an artist is to use our thoughts, sentiments, and feelings to make something to put out into the world.”
Justine Choi, senior, Crean Lutheran High School
Specialty: Mixed media (oil painting)
See artist’s portfolio
“When I was 10, I was given an art assignment at school in London to reinterpret Vincent van Gogh’s Sunflowers. There was a jumbled bundle of discarded materials that caught my attention. Looking at the bundle, I could already picture the stamen and petals of the sunflowers in the painting. I unrolled the bundle and proceeded to tie strings, twist nets, and rip colored cellophane to give my collage more life. I created a three-dimensional expression of the van Gogh piece. My art explored transformation in form and texture. I had always loved coloring and doodling, but this was the first instance I attempted more experimental art: the moment I fell in love with art.”
Kate D’Amaro, junior, St. Margaret’s Episcopal School
Specialty: Drawing (color pencil, micron pen, marker, acrylic paint)
See artist’s portfolio
“I have been scribbling down little faces and shapes on every piece of paper that I’ve been given for as long as I can remember. When I was 5 years old, I got in a great deal of trouble when I created a massive crayon mural on my bedroom walls. There was never a point in my life where I didn’t feel the innate desire to create. Even when I’m not working on a piece, you’ll still find me doodling with anything I can get my hands on.
