Every year at Wilsonville High School various students in the visual arts program submit their artwork for the Oregon Scholastic Art Awards. This is a very exciting event for artists because it is the art equivalent to a “state” or “regional” competition.

If the students advance in this competition, their art will be submitted to the National Scholastic Art Awards. The prizes given for exceptional artwork is recognized through the gift of Gold Keys, Silver Keys, and Honorable Mentions. Eventually, the Gold Key winning students will advance to the national competition which is held in New York where their artwork can medal.

Darrius Ramsey, a senior here at Wilsonville, received a Gold Key for one of his pieces he recently submitted but created years ago. “I’ve been drawing since I was a little little kid,” Ramsey reveals, “and I started with graphite, which is still my favorite media to use.” Today, Ramsey has branched out to more art media including acrylic and oil paints, and he plans to continue creating more art.

Fellow senior Cole Eagles was gifted a Silver Key for his piece “The Little Deer,” a small painted deer skull inspired by the Day of the Dead. This piece is meant to be hung on a wall, yet it can also double as an air plant holder. After speaking with Eagles’, he expressed how important it is to be optimistic when submitting your artwork for judging. “You never know if you will win because beauty is in the eye of the beholder,” Eagles explains, “if you don’t win anything, it doesn’t mean your art is bad.”

These pieces, along with many others, will be displayed on Thursday, February 6th, at Pacific Northwest College of Art for the Portland Metro Area Gold Key Show from 6pm to 8pm. Feel free to stop by to view the local artwork!