Lana Shovlin, who is 15 years old, created a painting of an autumn scene from her backyard in Shavertown.
Lillian Bensacon, 18, from Wilkes-Barre, painted a neighbor’s house with shutters as her subject.
While visiting Massachusetts College of Art in Boston, Sabrina Krause, 17, noticed and took a photo of a grand brick home, which she later painted.
Around 30 students from Wilkes-Barre Area’s CAPAA participated, and their artwork was displayed at the Wyoming Valley Art League’s Circle Centre for the Arts in downtown Wilkes-Barre during a reception.
Under the guidance of art teacher Ann Gubitose, the students were tasked with creating a painting in the style of Edward Hopper, known for his use of light. The artwork was exhibited at the unique Circle Centre, alongside self-portraits assigned by teacher Susie Shaw.
“I was really thrilled to come here,” said Olivia Shane, who is 16 years old and was among the students attending their first reception at the Circle Centre.
Zubeen Saaed, who organized Arts Fest to celebrate the opening of her new Building Blocks Learning Center, was delighted to see the students learning about artistic resources downtown and displaying their art.
“It's all about showing appreciation and validation for them,” she said.
During the event, student Sabrina Krause expressed her appreciation for her art teachers by giving Shaw and Gubitose each a rose from a bouquet her mother had given her.
“They really helped me with being creative,” said the young woman, who plans to pursue art in college.
