By: Braden Schladweiler

Garnet Valley held its first art show since 2019 and there were many pieces to be seen. Since then, many talented young artists have been working to create more pieces to express their emotions and ideas. Quarantine has given people a lot of time to think about any number of things. So, this year’s art show is really a time for artists to show their work, talent and emotion. With so many pieces from our fellow students here at GVHS, It can be hard to stand out. 

However, there was one piece of art that caught my eye. It was a painting of eyes. Some were large, some were smaller, some were dilated, others weren’t, some were mosaic-like, another was melting. My fascination with eyes immediately drew me to the piece of art. The mosaic-like use of the paint on parts of the painting also makes it eye-catching. The melting eye is intriguing. 

The artist’s name is Jenna Graham, a senior here at Garnet Valley High School. Jenna loves art because it allows her to express her creativity, thoughts, and feelings, as well as attach sentimental value and life experiences. This particular piece was part of an assignment that asked the question, “where do you find light in your life?” She chose to interpret it more literally. The art uses the question to show eyes looking at things they love. She said, “when you see something you love your pupils dilate.”

However, she doesn’t necessarily want people to walk away with the interpretation as she has. She wants viewers to come up with their own ideas and think just as deeply about the piece as she did. I think that there are more emotions than just love in the eyes. The melting eye, for example, could be sadness and the eyes with small pupils could be sadness, passion, or something else. I think that it comes down to your own interpretation of what the eyes mean and what emotions they portray. You’re in luck, this artwork is being made into a mural in the A wing. So, come on down and check it out to come up with your own ideas.