A kaleidoscope of ceramics, digital art, mixed media, acrylics, oil paintings and watercolors produced by Pinedale High School artists greeted guests at the After/State exhibit at Mystery Print Gallery on May 5.

The show, running through May 14, features a selection of award-winning art from the Wyoming High School State Art Symposium at the Ford Wyoming Center in Casper on April 20-22.

Pinedale blew the competition out of the water. PHS students submitted 99 pieces and brought home 23 ribbons and awards, well above the 10-percent average typically achieved by schools at the competition and the most hardware Pinedale has earned in its history, said art teacher Katie Facklam.

“I am so proud of these kids,” Facklam said.

Roberts: A large ceramic piece, far left, titled ‘Wind River Moss Agate,’ earned sophomore Tyrney Roberts a blue ribbon. Roberts formed each bowl out of M390 clay before removing the bottoms from the top four bowls and stacking them symmetrically. Six layers of glaze, followed by a waxing, gave the piece a brilliant patina, explained Roberts.

Gregory: Senior Allison Gregory displays two award-winning works, ‘Slipping Through My Fingers’ and ‘Watching the Clock.’ Gregory used acrylic paint pens to create the vivid colors bursting from the canvas and a brush to add texture. The lifelike perfection of the hands was drawn from reference photos, Gregory said. The hands turn inward, gathering the falling sands of time.

Jean: An old woman gazes at a young girl in senior Rylie Jean’s oil painting, ‘Mirrors.’ Jean described painting with oils as a ‘very tricky’ process involving ‘a lot of patience.’ Despite the challenge, she became ‘enamored by the way oil paint moves around.’ Jean applied Impressionist techniques from the late 19th and early 20th centuries to reflect on the theme of change. 

LaBuda: Senior Katie LaBuda poses with a ceramic piece that received an award at the symposium. LaBuda employed a Japanese pottery process called raku, where clay is fired in a kiln, then removed to cool in a bin of paper shavings, giving the artwork an ash-like appearance, LaBuda explained. LaBuda carved the design through a method called sgraffito, delicately scratching a pattern into the outer surface.

Crozier: Junior Leanna Crozier’s award-winning oil painting, ‘Pluto Personified,’ is a ‘plain subject matter on a plain background’ to create a striking yet somber impression. Crozier relied on her experience with acrylic painting to figure out the shadowing and used reference photos to ‘block out colors’ and mix shades. Pluto is associated with the underworld and death in Roman mythology, Crozier said.

Resendiz Hernandez: Junior Stephanie Resendiz Hernandez holds her blue-ribbon ceramic work titled ‘Trenches.’ The process involves trial and error to achieve the ideal color contrast, she said. Resendiz Hernandez spends significant time choosing the type of clay that will make the glaze stand out. Darker clays tend to highlight colors, she added.