Parkersburg South High School recognizes students with art show | News, Sports, Jobs

This artwork was created by advanced placement senior Avery Burris, on display at the Parkersburg South High School Thursday. (Photo by Larry Launstein Jr.)

PARKERSBURG — Students taking classes at various levels and those in an advanced placement class had a chance to display their artwork at Parkersburg South High School on Thursday.

Abbie Burge, the director of art at PSHS, said that there are four art classes, I, II, III and IV, plus an advanced placement class (AP), where students in that program turn in a portfolio at the end of the year and receive college credit.

Burge said the show has been going on for six years, interrupted only by the COVID-19 pandemic.

One of the artists, senior Addie Brown, said she got into art by “just seeing people around me do art, like music and singing and I guess, physical art.”

Brown said about her color choices in her work, “My artwork, most of it, has to do with identity, so the colors and figures I use have to do with my idea of how I view identity.”

Advanced placement senior Addie Brown showed her artwork, “Identity Series,” Thursday at the Parkersburg South High School Art Show. (Photo by Larry Launstein Jr.)

One of the paintings Brown was showing had to do with someone who was having trouble with who they are, dealing with how they see themselves.

She also said her work is about how they feel about their gender, how they look outside, struggling to see themselves as something or deformed or messed but they actually look normal to others.

She said she plans on going to Fairmont State University to pursue art education, and wants to become an art teacher.

She is currently an AP student.

Senior Avery Burris said she has been interested in art for her entire life.

Logan Moyers, a senior advanced placement student at Parkersburg South High School, stood next to some of his artwork Thursday. (Photo by Larry Launstein Jr.)

One of her works was on the cover of the “Wood Whispers,” a publication published by the Wood County Schools Board of Education. She said one of her works got second place in the AP Class, and also got second place for just about all her other artworks.

She plans on attending West Virginia University, but is undecided on a major.

Another AP student, senior Logan Moyers, said about getting into art, “Ever since I was in pre-K (pre-kindergarten), I painted a picture of a clown, and people praised me, and it runs in the family, too. It’s mostly natural.”

He said he plans on attending Full Said University, in Winter Park, Fla., and wants to be a video game developer.

And yet another AP student, junior Luna Spears, said she started drawing as a child and has been doing it since.

Luna Spears, an advanced placement student at Parkersburg South High School, stood next to her artwork during the art show Thursday. (Photo by Larry Launstein Jr.)

She said, “my portfolio is about how history repeats itself,. I’m looking at different vague ideas in today’s society and see how they reflect from 100 years ago.”

She said she has been looking at several colleges and universities in Florida, and keeps coming back to Jacksonville University and Florida Technical Institute.

The show ran until Saturday.

Award winners for each class are:

Art 1 (10 Commendation Ribbons — Purple) — in no particular order:

* Carly Schaffer: “Butterfly”

* Samantha McKinney: “Crossway”

* Trever Cox: “Helmet”

* Kamryn Salee: Dragon Shoe”

* Jetta Wright: “Flowers”

* Chloe Butler: “Burning Candle”

* Kira Mace: “Grapefruit Gal”

* Jetta Wright: “Mountains”

* Noah Akers: “Leaf”

Art 2 (First through Fourth place) and 6 purple commendation ribbons:

* Makiya Powell: “Slanted Face,

* Kandi Alltop

* Akash Sureh: “001”

* Alyse Bailey

* Caydence Jones: “Mushroom Field”

* Clayton Small: “The Final Quest”

* Rylee Waggoner

* Ryklee Richards

* Tyler Shedd: “Home in the Mountains”

* Vaida Dean: “Eclipse”

Art 4 (First through Fourth place) and 2 purple commendation ribbons:

* Anna Ware: “Forest Being”

* Hannah Vanlue: “Love Trouble”

* Chinutta “Aim” Suthamacharu: “Butterfly”

* Frances Locar: “Glorification”

* Aizelyn Stroehman: “Sharks”

* Sarah Emerick: “Chevy”

Art 4 (First through Fourth place) and 2 purple commendation ribbons:

* Bry Taylor: “Major Arcana” Series

* Hannah Ro Starcher: “Dementia” Series

* Riley Dunbar: “Pen and Ink” Series

* Talina Jones: “Lily Pad” Series

* Katelyn Bauer: “Women’s Portrait” Series

* Alex White: “Blossom”

Art 4 (First through Fourth place) and 2 purple commendation ribbons

Judged on entire body of work:

* Logan Moyers: “How Nature Takes Over Modern Civilization” Series

Tie for second:

* Avery Burris: “Things That Instill Fear” Series

* Luna Spears: “How History Repeats Itself” Series

* Natalie Gillis: ” Escapism” Series

* Addie Brown: “Identity” Series

* Breilla Goldenberg: “Duality” Series

Larry Launstein Jr. can be reached at [email protected]