***Vacancy*** by Imani Raphael
This ink and watercolor drawing by Imani Raphael was recognized as most distinguished in the 2022 Essex County Teen Arts Festival.

This has been an interesting year as I witnessed many of my senior students emerge from being coy art students to becoming artists. It was like betting on a merger of talent, skill and perspective. The odds were that it could go either way. There are no guarantees. But when that merger happens and turns into something extraordinary then you have to applaud the student and praise the universe. That merger of talent, skill and perspective has come full circle and a young visionary has emerged.

Meet artist Imani Raphael, 19. Creator of Vacancy pictured above. Imani has an interest in fantasy and sci fi situations that include characters like elves in surreal environments. She has excelled in developing her skill in realistic drawing and using linear perspective and foreshortening in her compositions. The realistic perspective and sharp detail make us feel the environments she places her elf-like characters in do actually exist. Her characters look real until you see their elongated ears as they walk down streets that seem real enough but with a dystopian feel. This kind of dystopian perspective is not so uncommon among young artists like Imani who enjoy exploring multiple perspectives of the life.

Meet artist Crystal Caldwell, 18. Crystal is a 2022 Gates Scholar. The recipient of a full ride scholarship awarded to a select number of student applicants from around the country from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Crystal has distinguished herself with her observational drawing skills and translated that skill into her digital drawing. Crystal's interest this year has been on representing animals and attaching human emotions to them. Acknowledging that we all feel the various stages of grief and she chose to explore it from an animal's perspective. Light Through the Storm (pictured below) is a detailed drawing of a tiger sitting calmly under large leaf foliage. The tiger looks peaceful enough, but ready to pounce into action if it has too. Crystal's environments embrace the natural world and portray various animals in a variety of natural setting indicative of the emotions she attaches to them.

I embrace these young artists and many others like them that have decided to embrace their artistic talent and pursue it beyond their high school experience. I stand ready to support their journey into a visual art career, and to witnessing how they will continue to develop their visual perspectives into the future.

Toni Thomas

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