Courtesy of Vianna Dong

A still from Vianna Dong’s animation “Naivety” depicts her past self opening a door.

Freshman Michelle Lew and sophomore Vianna Dong’s works are being exhibited as part of the annual high school ArtNow exhibition at New Museum of Los Gatos (NUMU). The 600 student works from 97 artists are on display until July 19.

This year’s theme is “Before / Between / Beyond,” exploring patterns with transitions in artists’ lives and what the future holds for them.

“Family Photo” breaks familial connection

Lew created a diptyque — an artwork made of two separate pieces on each side of a frame or canvas — to explore grief after the loss of a loved one. Her work was inspired by her late uncle.

To create the two sides of her piece, Lew ripped black and white paper on top of each other and sketched out her artwork on the two pieces. 

On the left side, Lew used color pencil to depict a happy family’s photo, adding chrysanthemums to represent remembrance. 

However, the right side of the diptyque, crafted with white charcoal on black paper, exposes the effects of the grief that impacted the family. It includes a broken vase to implicitly illustrate the damage done.

Lew found out about the competition through her art studio in Cupertino: Hongyun Art. Her teacher encouraged her to submit. 

“I didn’t expect it at all,” Lew said. She hadn’t put much thought into the actual competition, writing her artist’s statement in only 10 minutes. 

Through this artwork, Lew wanted to emphasize how grief affects someone and the people around them, a central theme for her portfolio.

“Naivety” showcases the different stages of life

Dong found out her work would be exhibited on April 15, after checking her email during an Art Club meeting. 

Her animation piece explores the transition between elementary and middle school through the lens of her fifth-grade self. The piece depicts her younger self opening several doors and walking through a hallway of memories — some beautiful and some scary.

Dong chose the title “Naivety” because of how small this step in life is in the grand scheme of things, but how big it feels in the moment. 

“I think, in the moment, our childhood selves are lost as we transition into higher levels of education,” Dong said. 

The piece was primarily done digitally, using colored pencil brushes and chalk pastel, the latter being used to give the artwork a more dreamy feel. Dong utilized a crayon-style brush to hone in on the childish feel of the film. 

By employing the contrast between soft, pretty colors and more gloomy, brash ones, Dong was able to create a “Hall of Me,” representing the doors of experiences that she had to open in her life.

Like Lew, Dong was also introduced to the competition through Hongyun Art.

“I think it was really great to see myself being appreciated for the work I do, since I’ve been drawing for so long,” Dong said.