Lee Ferrel Receives Prestigious Scholastic Art Award
The months of fervent work, pouring passion, conviction, and his very soul into a project have all come to a monumental milestone for Claremore High School art student, Lee Ferrel. Lee won a Gold Key for his portfolio submission to the Scholastic Art & Writing competition. The Scholastic Awards look for work that demonstrates originality, technical skill, and the emergence of a personal voice or vision of young artists.
"Students were advised throughout the term to be intentional in their art decisions so that every piece they executed could be a possible submission to the competition. This competition provides the student with a goal beyond their grade and helps them feel invested in and engaged with their work. Lee's portfolio explores the human figure with an emphasis on lighting and how it heightens interest in a portrait. Lee executed more than 15 soft pastel drawings over 18 weeks averaging a piece every 3 to 4 days. Lee works very quickly and blends realistic drawing techniques with expressive color," explained his AP Art teacher, Taylor Hoffer Williams.
You can see all the Gold Key works at the Gardiner Gallery of Art in the Bartlett Center at OSU, February 27-29. Gold Key recipients' works will move on to the national judging in NYC for additional honors and a chance to win a $10,000 scholarship.
Lee also received one honorable mention for a solo piece and has been accepted into the School of Visual Arts in New York. CHS had five additional honorable mentions, including Wade Brasfield, Emma Peters, Kyra Conley, and Madison Hall.
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