Five aspiring youth artists added their latest works to a special Portland Museum of Art exhibit.

Every school year, the Portland Museum of Art has a Youth Art Month where Maine’s art teachers get to select just one student’s work of art to show at the PMA. 

The virtual 2022 Youth Art Month exhibition (on the Portland Museum of Art’s website), which opened Tuesday, includes:

Madison Shulte, a second grader at Stevens Brook Elementary School, had her work, “Mixed Media Donut” selected.

Madison’s “Mixed Media Donut” was selected out of 150 other works of art said SBES and Crooked River Elementary Art Teacher Luke Hadley.

Aspen Richards, a second grader at Songo Locks Elementary School, created a cow portrait and was selected by SLS/CRES Art Teacher Evelyn Abrams. “She did this cow portrait of our adopted cow named Henna,” Abrams said. “Her picture is done in oil pastels. She drew Henna and then completed it with pastels.”

Sophia Dobson, a fifth grader at Crooked River, had her print, “Soup Cans” selected out of 150 other works of art. 

Harper Proulx, a seventh grader at Lake Region Middle School, is described by LRMS Art Teacher David Southwick as “a true artist and has always been great about taking the objectives of an assignment and transforming them into totally unique and punchy images. This is one of the strangest, yet also most accomplished paintings that Harper made for class.”

Aleah Warren and Rianna Reynolds were selected as Lake Region High School representatives to the exhibit.

Aleah, a LRHS senior, created “Self Reflection,” an 11-inch by 14-inch Colored Pencil, which was selected by Art Teacher Teal Carlson. “Aleah has worked very hard to broaden her artistic skills over the past four years, specifically working on experiences with new drawing materials. Aleah’s artwork stands out because of her talents, but also because of her genuine, patient commitment to her art,” Mrs. Carlson said.

Aleah plans to study art in college after graduation. 

“Self Reflectionshows both her love of photo realistic drawing with colored pencils and her growing talents drawing from real life,” Carlson added.   

Rianna, a LRHS sophomore, created “Macro Leaf,” a 12-inch by 18-inch Ink, selected by Art Teacher Ian Carlson. 

“I selected Rianna Reynolds’ Macro Leaf Studybecause of its dramatic sense of value using minimal tools (pen and ink),” Carlson said. “As her teacher, I was very impressed by her commitment to the process of stippling (the whole drawing is made of dots) and her use of space. I’m very proud of the commitment and effort this young artist put into her work.”