Cash prizes were awarded to three Bainbridge High School visual art students, by the Bainbridge Island Studio Tour as part of their annual Youth Art Award. The award is open to Bainbridge students and residents who are High School juniors and seniors as of March. This was the seventh year for the award, which is funded by last year’s Studio Tour artists who (optionally) donate a portion of their sales. Dinah Satterwhite is the Tour Manager and is excited about the program that reaches out to our young art community. Each student who entered was required to submit five photos of their work, and complete an application form and detailed Artist’s Statement.

The Grand Prize went to Grace Hattrup, a Junior at Eagle Harbor High School, for her beautiful ink and watercolor work. She received a special award certificate and check for $400. Ms. Hattrup’s playful style was well beyond her years, as the judges were in awe of her detail and subject matter, with color palettes and detailed work that was very consistent across all five of her pieces. Her Artist’s Statement, which contributed toward her winning entry, reveals much about the depth behind the art.

My work is meant to convey the imagination of childhood. My mission is to appeal to all ages because everyone was a child once and everyone can return to the unchecked curiosity of someone with no cap on the world’s possibilities. Many of my works explore fantasy scenes that I wanted to discover when I was younger. Ultimately my goal is to leave the viewer curious about the world on a page. Additionally, I want them to feel safe and cautiously curious about what it would feel like to be the protagonist of one of my pieces. 

Two Honorable Mentions were also awarded with $100 checks each. One went to Faith Halko, a BHS Senior, for her nature photography. She presented stunning images of local birds and wildlife in their natural setting, using reflection and mood to set the scene. Ms. Halko states that “If photography has taught me anything, it is that art is at its most powerful when it tells a story.” One of her photos depicts a river otter enjoying dinner on the edge of a tidepool, and the details in her Artist’s Statement are worth taking note:

One of my favorite images I’ve ever taken is the photo of the river otter just after sundown, which I submitted. I actually took this on a recent outing, only a week ago. I was still adjusting to the fact that school had been canceled for the next few months when I decided to go to the beach. The sun had just dipped behind the horizon when an otter climbed out of the water with a flopping fish. I had to lay in a tidepool filling with the incoming tide to photograph it without scaring it away. The moment proved to me that even in the most chaotic moments in life, you can find beautiful ones too.

The second Honorable Mention went to Ruby Macfarlane, a BHS Junior, for her portrait photography. Working with a single subject, she chose to present her entries through five completely different views, using filters, vantagepoints, emotions, and much more. “Taking a picture isn’t like writing a story or drawing a sketch. It is way more personal because it is an unfiltered view of how the artist sees the world.” Studio Tour Manager Dinah Satterwhite, a photographer herself, was very impressed with the creative way that Ms. Macfarlane approached her subject: “While it’s easy to snap a photo or two, it can be hard to step out of the box and get really creative – capture emotion, or get really close to your subject. This girl is not afraid to do just that!” Part of her Artist’s Statement reads:

The photos I have submitted, I photographed in order to expose the different aspects of a person’s personality. In the media, we are spoon-fed these images of perfectly happy people. My initial goal for this project was to demonstrate that people are not as one-dimensional as they would like to be perceived. I wanted to show that people, no matter what façade they present, have numerous facets to their personality. My final goal for this project was to argue that to understand someone, we must learn about all sides of them.

This years’ awards were decided by three judges, each a seasoned artist in the area and Studio Tour Board member. “Each student who entered, whether they won a prize or not, had much to say, and it came through in their work,” said Ms. Satterwhite.

The Tour will continue with the Youth Art Award, and is currently preparing for the upcoming Summer Studio Tour, scheduled for August 7 to 9. Details: www.bistudiotour.com. For more information, contact Ms. Satterwhite at 206-842-0504.