When Bonnie Floyd created her latest artwork — a mixed media piece based in cardboard — she wanted it to convey the message that her art was “hungering for more in life and wanting more positive things, but also being afraid of the world.” 

The piece, titled “Hunger and Fear,” earned a top Superior rating and an area medal at the Texas Art Education Association’s High School Visual Arts Scholastic Event recently.

“Experiences are the things it ‘eats,’” the Belton New Tech @Waskow senior said, describing her art. “I used a lot of shape language to get the feelings across as well. I used swirls to represent confusion and jagged lines to show the panic.”

Floyd’s artwork advances to the state art competition on April 28-29. She’ll be joined by three other Belton ISD students from Lake Belton High School — Isabella Dickson-Watler, TJ Hower and Victoria Peterman. 

In total, 68 entries from the district earned regional Superior ratings. Of artwork rated Superior, only 10% advance to the state event by earning an area medal.

New Tech art teacher Tab Lloyd said the competition is an important opportunity for her students to have their artwork rated and recognized.

“Seeing Bonnie recognized for her hard work and creativity makes me so happy,” Lloyd said. “I’m glad to be able to offer a choice-based art program where Bonnie and her classmates can take an idea seed and run with it to make something visually stunning.”

See photos of the advancing artwork at http://bit.ly/3kDZb3m. The advancing students and artwork include:

“Hunger and Fear” by Bonnie Floyd, senior at Belton New Tech @Waskow
Mixed media based in cardboard
The message of my artwork is hungering for more in life and wanting more positive things, but also being afraid of the world. Experiences are the things it "eats." The bottle caps in its stomach represent different things. The heart represents positive things and love. The eye represents judgment, being watched, and a negative feeling associated with people. The fire represents a feeling of imminent doom, and a feeling like things are crashing and burning or that they will eventually. I used a lot of shape language to get the feelings across as well. I used swirls to represent confusion and jagged lines to show the panic.

“Sister” by Isabella Dickson-Watler, a junior at Lake Belton High School
Acrylic on canvas
I did this specifically because last year I did a painting with my mom while she was pregnant, and I wanted to do one with my baby sister. Before she was born I had a lot of fear about having a younger sibling around, it was very scary. This painting symbolizes the growth we both went through, her in age and me in the relationship I have with my baby sister. My style and aesthetic with my painting is to be fun and funky, vibrant colors and highlights with lots colors. Artists that inspire me are Basquiat and Herring.

“Lavendar’s Masterpice” by TJ Hower, a senior at Lake Belton High Schoool
Acrylic on canvas
The purpose of my piece was to paint a moment in time in which my dog, Lavender, was caught doing something she knew she was not supposed to do. I sought to capture the exaggerated look of guilt on Lavender's face as she was scolded, even though I had to hold back laughter while doing so at the time. I was inspired by photos in the early 2000s from the 'Ripley's Believe or Not!' book series, with highly contrasted and saturated photos- elements I hoped to apply to my painting. My dogs make up a large portion of my life. I created this piece to explore what my dogs do at home when no one is around, paired with the emotions they feel, as part of a sustained artwork investigation that I am doing in AP. My creativity and imagination is incorporated in the magazine details of the piece as each paper scrap that is related to elements of my life with my dogs.

“Oppression” by Victoria Peterman, a senior at Lake Belton High School
Mixed media on paper
The purpose of my work is to create a feeling of oppression, as if things are suffocating me and holding me down. This artwork represents my personal anecdote because I believe that what I struggle with, others struggle with and can relate to as well.  The major things that I think stop me from growing and keep me “oppressed” are Tiktok, sin, sleep deprivation, and anxiety.  The hands represent each of the oppressors.  I feel as though what holds me down holds other people down, too.