Oak Harbor High School art teacher, Elly Gilbert, hosted the the 5 County Invitation Art Show on April 26 and 27. (Photo by Sheri Trusty)

BY SHERI TRUSTY

OAK HARBOR – Each year, Oak Harbor High School art teacher, Elly Gilbert, opens the school’s doors to young artists for the 5 County Invitational Art Show, giving her a unique look at the creativity pouring out of schools in Ottawa, Erie, Sandusky, Seneca and Wood counties. She chooses schools that, like Oak Harbor, have only one art teacher, giving the students a level playing field of competition.

Gilbert was more amazed than ever at the talent showcased at this year’s art show, held on April 26 and 27.

“I’ve seen a lot of growth with two-dimensional projects, like paintings and drawings,” she said. “Students are definitely flourishing with portraits in all the schools.”

Genoa High School sophomore, Hannah Bertok, stands with her blue ribbon win in the mosaics category. (Photo by Sheri Trusty)

Libby Bumb, a New Riegel tenth grader, won Best of Show 2-D for her pencil drawing of the back of a girl’s head, her French braid trailing down her back. It was a simple concept but an extraordinary work of art.

“She got best of show because the hair is so intensely realistic,” Gilbert said. “Hair is incredibly hard to draw, and her drawing almost looks like a photograph.”

Gilbert said the wheel-thrown ceramics category expanded this year.

“There must be several teachers, like me, who teach it. The students really created some amazing pieces,” she said. “I’m really proud of them.”

This pencil drawing by Libby Bumb, a New Riegel High School sophomore, won Best of Show in the 2-D category. (Photo by Sheri Trusty)

More students entered works in the computer graphics category, as well.

“A lot of students are learning Photoshop and Illustrator,” Gilbert said. “It’s nice to see that their art is steering in the direction the world is steering, in some aspects.”

Genoa tenth grader, Hannah Bertok, said digital art is her favorite type of medium, but it was her image of a boy’s face made with denim that won a blue ribbon in the mosaics category. The project required her to create a mosaic based on an image.

“It’s from a show I like, so I was more motivated to do it,” she said.

Bertok entered eight pieces in the show, some of which were based on her original characters. One of them, a ceramics work, won an honorable mention. A few were in the digital art category.

Lakota senior Hannah Stahl won a blue ribbon in the 5 County Invitation Art Show with the acrylic painting of a bear. (Photo by Sheri Trusty)

“I like digital art because it’s easy to fix,” she said. “It you get the anatomy off, it’s easy to switch it around.”

The show was supported by the Port Clinton Artists’ Club, which awarded monetary prizes to three Ottawa County students, and by Wistinghausen Florist, which loaned large ferns to be used as decorations throughout the school.

Gilbert said inviting only schools with a single art teacher created fair competition.

“Some of these students don’t have the opportunity to compete in bigger shows,” she said. “This grows their self-esteem and encourages them to create more in the future.”