Second Place Winner in Visual Arts

STUDENT: Amanda Delhagen
ADVISOR: Corianne Thompson

Watercolor.

Watercolor creative endeavor. The main components of this piece are the ribbon and the flowers inside. Visually, the bright colors invoke happiness and beauty, but the meaning behind each flower and where its placed reflects an uglier side. The ribbons, in a rough outline of a person, are wrapped around, showing the inner-workings. The head, wrapped tight and full of color, continues down as the coils become looser, the color fades to almost blend into the background page. When I look back at this artwork, i’m brought back to when I created it. I felt like I was losing myself, my thoughts crowded and I felt torn apart. Individually, the areas and flowers were placed with purpose. The orange flowers, littered throughout the body are marigolds. They represent death, and the emotion of feeling dead inside. The white flowers, are forget-me-nots, they are located in the head since my memories keep fading and I forgot important information. Next, the red rose. A single rose, ripped though the bandage over the heart. This flower represents love and how although it is pretty, it is also painful. Lastly, the butterflies are located in the stomach, the blue seems unnatural since the feeling of butterflies in the stomach often feels synthetic and fake. I really enjoyed creating and putting a story into my work, which is why this piece is one of my favorites.