Groton Dunstable Regional High School Art Club Presents: Dreams

19 April – 31 May 2013

Lilian Vo, Counting Sheep, acrylic on canvas

"I dream my painting and I paint my dream." – Vincent Van Gogh

Clare Hong, Untitled,
acrylic on canvas

This exhibit of student work was both a delight and an educational experience to prepare and install. The Groton-Dunstable Regional High School has a new art club under the guidance of art teacher and sculptor, Eleonora Lecei. Eleonora was both the inspiration and the faculty mentor for this exhibit. Shannon Doherty-Keelan, the president of the club, and Caroline Phelps came on hanging day and they both learned the aesthetics as well as the nuts and bolts of hanging an art show. Teaching these skills to aspiring young artists is surprisingly enjoyable and we hope to make this show a regular event.

The students chose the theme and title of their show, Dreams. There are dreams aplenty here, good dreams, bad dreams, dreams of the Wizard of Oz. There is even a good dream meeting a bad dream, an eerie dream of a zombie hand emerging from nowhere, and an abstract dream with no solid reference point. The theme seems particularly appropriate for high school students, for whom dreams are essential, standing as they are at the crossroads between childhood and adulthood. They will shape their futures with their dreams and how they choose to implement them.

Deborah Santoro
Curator

Featuring the work of:

Elizabeth Bosselman, Zombie Hand,
acrylic on canvas

Elizabeth Bosselman

I have never really worked with paint before so this was a great experience. My inspirations are artists who take good characters and make them evil looking and also the reverse. I haven't been an artist for long.

Jacqulyn Cernak. Chest Pains,
plaster on a wire frame, acrylic

Jacqulyn Cernak

I have been pursuing my interest in creating art for many years. I want to eventually make a living off of my art.

Walter Campbell, Wizard of Oz Dream Art,
sharpie markers on canvas

Walter Campbell

My dream is about Dorothy returning to the Wizard of Oz. Three images are displayed in Dorothy's eye, ear, and mouth. The fourth image is displayed through a bubble that Dorothy created.

Renee Hampton, Reality’s Invasion Moments
Before Awake, acrylic on canvas

Renee Hampton

Renee Hampton is a fifteen year old who has been encouraged from her earliest memory to express herself. Painting is just one of the ways she does so. She has not taken an art class thus far in her high school career. Her piece is intended to show the moment in between awake and asleep, where a dreamer is aware of both their imagined sleep environment and the place they live in while they are awake. Note the points of sky shining through the ebony dream background as the dreamer of this scene begins to slowly awaken. Acrylic and gloss acrylic paint were used.

Lillian Vo (see image at top)

I am currently a sophomore at the GDRHS and aspiring illustrator. Movement and interest in contrasting colors are my favorite elements to include in my work. I am largely inspired by powerful and dynamic compositions that are deceptively simple, like the work of Victo Ngai, Angelica Alzona, and Kekai Kotaki.

Shannon Doherty-Keelan, Spectrum,
acrylic and collage on canvas

Shannon Doherty-Keelan

I have always had an interest in art. When I was little I had a habit of sketching pictures on the sides of my homework. This habit has grown into an uncontrollable love of anything artistic. I recently gained confidence in my art and feel brave enough to call myself an artist. As an artist I discovered that I feel most comfortable using paint but I also dabble in mixed media. I always try to incorporate a surrealist element to my art. I enjoy many other art forms as well including, acting, singing and writing. I plan to experiment with all types of art when I go to college and for the rest of my life. My pieces incorporate mushrooms which represent growth from decay. I liked the concept of something growing out of the lack of life so I applied it to sleep. When we sleep we are not living but we are still growing. Dreams have the ability to teach and show us new things that help us learn more about ourselves. Our dreams give us life when we are lifeless.

Breanne Happell, Untitled, ceramic sculpture

This exhibit is supported by the Groton Public Library Endowment Trust.