“THE GIRLS IN PANTS” … From left to right in this painting, just to the upper left of Kaitlin Elkins seen here at the Ft. Wayne Art Show, are three high school friends Kate Krueger, Dana Voll and Abby Griffey. Kaitlyn thinks they are excited to be part of her winning an award with their picture. “The highest is a Gold Award, but I got two Silvers so I am pretty happy,” Kaitlyn shared. “MESSY HAIR”, which is not in the photo,was the other painting that received a Silver Award and is of her sister, Archbold Sophomore Abigail Elkins, with her hair up in a bun. In the bun is a nest with a bird in it. Creativity is definitely part of Kaitlyn Elkins character. (PHOTO BY REBECCA MILLER, STAFF)
By: Rebecca Miller
Kaitlyn Elkins, a senior at Archbold High School was recently honored at a ceremony in Ft. Wayne for two pieces of Art which she painted in her High School art class. “I sent in two individual pieces and they were judged by the Northeast Indiana and Northwest Ohio Scholastic Art and Writing group,” Kaitlyn shared.
“One was an acrylic painting I did as a Junior of my sister, Abigail, with a messy bun and there is a birds nest, with a bird in it, in her bun.” The canvas is cardboard and she cut through the first layer so it looked like trees and shaded around it and used charcoal to define the trees.”
“The other is an oil painting of three of her friends wearing brightly colored pants. “I saw them one day at school and thought it would be a great painting. I posed them so it would make a good one, and took a picture of them. I love how it turned out.”
The awards were won by hundreds of High School students from thirty one counties in Northeast Indiana and Northwest Ohio. According to their website, the Scholastic Art and Writing Awards has been “supporting the future of creativity since 1923.”
About the Northeast Indiana and Northwest Ohio Art Region, it says, “The Fort Wayne Museum of Art has partnered with the Alliance for Young Artists and Writer’s for over a decade to bring recognition to the next generation of young artists and writers, beginning with art in 2004 and adding writing in 2007.”
“Our role as an Affiliate Partner of the Awards is to showcase the burgeoning talent of creative young people and their messages about our current culture and future.”
Kaitlyn is happy to have won awards with this prestigious group and will most likely have it listed in her future resumes. She was informed about the opportunity by her art teacher, Laura Kennedy, and is glad she participated.
For any budding artists who would like to do it in the future, submissions will start being accepted in September 2020 for the 2021 awards. All work must be uploaded in the online system by Tuesday, January 7, 2021 and all entry forms and payment must be received by January 8. Go to Scholastic Art and Writing Awards and click on How to Enter, when the time arrives.
Kaitlyn was born in Springfield, Ohio to David and Rebecca Elkins, and attended school in Elida until they moved to the Archbold Area when she was in the eighth grade. Her father is the pastor at Central Mennonite Church.
Kaitlyn will graduate this May and plans to major in Graphic Design at Bowling Green State University and then later in life she would like to become an art director in advertising. “I have loved doing crafts and art my whole life,” Kaitlyn said. “Our parents would do crafts with my sister and I at night and they encouraged us to develop our creativity.”
Besides being active with Art, Kaitlyn also is in marching and concert bands, choir and is very involved with Youth Group at church. She is in the Musical, The Adams Family, this year and was also in the Wizard of Oz during her Sophomore year.
Each year her school has an Art Show for the students. She won three first place ribbons during her freshman year, a first and a second as a sophomore and in her Junior year, in the Advanced Art competition, she won second place on the bird in her sister’s hair picture.
Last year she also won first place for the Board Display of her art. The Art Show for her Senior year will be held in the spring. She is looking forward to that, as well as to graduating, and hopes to have a life of being able to earn money with her talent.
Rebecca can be reached at publisher@thevillagereporter.com