The Panorama Invitational, an exhibit that holds artwork done by Kern County High School juniors and seniors, is being presented at the Wylie and May Louise Jones Gallery at Bakersfield College.
The exhibit was first opened on Feb. 11, and will continue to showcase the artwork through March 10. The gallery is located inside the Grace Van Dyke Bird library, and is open Monday through Thursday 1-7 p.m. The high schools participating this year are Bakersfield, East Bakersfield, Foothill, Frontier, Garces Memorial, Golden Valley, Independence, Liberty, North, South and Tehachapi High.
David Koeth, chair of the Art Department at BC, was proud to attend the exhibit due to the high number of high schools that chose to participate. Koeth is very impressed by the quality of the work done by the students.
“The Art Department at BC believes strongly in showing the work of high school art students,” said Koeth. “It is an opportunity for strong student work to be seen in a gallery setting, it introduces the student artists to how exhibitions operate and it encourages the students to consider an art career after high school.”
Raul Chaidez, a junior at Liberty High School, was one of the many students who used acrylic to construct his painting called, “The Intensity of a Tiger.” Chaidez is very intrigued by wildlife, preferably lions and tigers due to their fierce appearance. He is also interested in painting, drawing, using watercolors and also enjoys sculpting with clay.
“I made this dot painting of a tiger’s face with different sized dowels and paint. I chose a tiger because I think they are strong and authoritative animals,” said Chaidez.
Art students also find themselves creating pieces that tell a story relating to their own lifestyles and experiences. Kimberly Rathbun, a senior at Foothill High School, used pen and color pencil for her art piece to give inspiration to teenage girls. Her art piece is called, “I Wish.” Rathbun has been involved in art since first grade and finds herself going back and forth with painting and drawing as her profession.
“I always see different cliques at school and I usually get my inspiration from that type of atmosphere,” said Rathbun. “I decided to do this piece when I found myself struggling with my identity. I decided that by doing this piece I could bring to light the identity struggle that teenage girls go through.”
Andrew Frausto, a senior at South High, is another art student who used acrylic to construct his piece. Frausto named his painting “Red Panda” after becoming inspired by a famous artist. He found himself only drawing at first then he gradually opened up to painting also. Frausto hopes to pursue his career as an artist and be featured in more art galleries. He is looking to attend Otis or San Francisco Art Schools.
“My inspiration came from Andy Warhol’s ‘Endangered Species Pop Art’ series. I chose this red panda because of its beauty and particular attractiveness,” said Frausto. “For my painting I used acrylic paint. I have used acrylic paint before so working with the medium was fairly easy.”
Art instructor Dacey Vanderwal, from Independence High School, attended the opening reception. Vanderwal was there to support her students and their first showcased artwork.
“Having the students at the Bakersfield College gallery is a great experience and something very special,” said Vanderwal. “The student I chose for the gallery, Ana Garcia, is a wonderful artist for her courage to try new things because she is willing to take risks that other students don’t and she demonstrated that through her sculpture.”
Ana Garcia, a junior at Independence High, designed and sculpted an art piece called “Vanity.” Garcia has been involved in art since sixth grade and hopes to attend an art school in San Francisco or Otis. She spent two to three months constructing her sculpture.
“The idea I had while making ‘Vanity’ was that many people try too hard to become beautiful physically, they even forget or hide their true self,” said Garcia. “I also thought that beauty was a disease that could even make you ugly.”
The gallery welcomes all students and staff to view the art displayed from the high school students.