There doesn't appear to be any shortage of talented artists in Monroe and the greater Sky Valley area!
During the Sno-Isle Libraries' recent Teen Read Month Art Contest, four winning pieces of themed artwork were selected from a total of 92 submissions. The art submissions, which incorporated the theme "With Books Dreams Come True,GÇ¥ were generated from within the Sno-Isle Libraries' system of 21 libraries.
Three of the winning art submissions hailed from the Sultan and Monroe Libraries, with a fourth winner from the Mill Creek Library.
The Monroe winners, Bronwen LaPorte and Haley Amenn, were honored at the Monroe Library on Tuesday, Nov. 25. The girls were presented with a $50 Amazon gift card and a copy of the poster that was created featuring their artwork, front and center.
Both Amenn and LaPorte attend high school at the Sky Valley Education Center.
Amenn said that much of the inspiration for her work came from inside her own bedroom. The 17-year-old's intricately detailed piece featured a napping girl with her hand resting lightly on a book. Around the room small details were drawn in such as tiny origami cranes hanging from the ceiling; a pair of pink bunny slippers underneath the bed; several small monsters nestled in the corner of the bed and an image of Jack inspired by Jack and the Beanstalk.
Amenn, who has been doing art seriously since 2012, was motivated to explore her talent because of her mother, who is also an artist.
"She inspired me to do more,GÇ¥ said Amenn. "She has a portfolio of all these Disney characters, and she used to draw superheroes, as well.GÇ¥
A fan of superheroes herself, Amenn considered carefully before declaring Ironman and Batman as two of her favorites.
Bronwen LaPorte, who has been an artist for as long as she can remember, has won numerous awards and honors for different artistic mediums including drawing and sculpture.
"I love the theme this year because I love reading and I love books,GÇ¥ said 16-year-old LaPorte.
LaPorte's artwork featured a small slumbering dragon resting his head on a book entitled "Fearsome Dragons.GÇ¥ The baby dragon, shown snoozing among a pile of golden coins, was portrayed as though it was dreaming about becoming a grown-up, fire-breathing dragon.
LaPorte said she tried and discarded several other ideas before figuring out exactly where she wanted to go with her piece, and eventually, everything fell into place.
"I was like, you know, having a little dragon, which is really cute, dreaming about being all fierce and destructive, would be really adorable and it kind of works with the theme,GÇ¥ said LaPorte.
LaPorte is hoping to eventually incorporate her artistic inclination into a long-term career.
"I don't want to really go into a strictly artistic field,GÇ¥ said LaPorte. "I would much rather go into computer programming and then maybe have a graphic edge.GÇ¥
LaPorte enjoys exploring new artistic mediums and is currently taking an oil painting class at Everett Community College.
"I don't like to limit myself so I'll basically try anything,GÇ¥ said LaPorte.
Monroe Managing Librarian Phil Spirito was excited by all the examples of artistic skill received in Monroe.
"This is a big deal,GÇ¥ said Spirito. "We have two winners for the whole library system! It's amazing! We're so proud of you guys, and so psyched that you're from our library.GÇ¥
After receiving so many impressive submissions, the Monroe Library decided to recognize three additional artists, who were selected from the artworks received exclusively in Monroe. Emma Picard, Michal Rose and Sarah Lambert were also honored and awarded with Amazon gift cards.
The posters featuring Amenn and LaPorte's artwork will be displayed throughout the Sno-Isle Library system as well as in local schools.
The Sultan Library's winner, Mia Stratman, was honored during an earlier event held in Sultan.
Comments
Use the comment form below to begin a discussion about this content.
Sign in to comment