1st Place: “Sunny Day” by Vicki Jo Franks
Vicki Jo Franks, 1st Place: “Sunny Day”
From early childhood I have been passionately interested in art,nature and faith. These three have influenced choices all through my life including majoring in art.
I spent my early years exploring wooded areas near home which filled my heart with immense love and appreciation for Mother Earth and Mother Ocean and am troubled by our exploitation of them. I know how I would feel if others destroyed my garden.
My art includes compositions that carry messages of social and environmental concerns. Each piece is assembled with nature and manufactured upcycled materials.
At 75 years old I completed courses at UNC Botanical Garden to be certified in NC Native Plant Studies.
My art studio, Autumn Sage FolkArt Garden Studio is also a Certified Native Habitat.
2nd Place: “Garden Whimsy” by Sarah Glas
Sarah Glas, 2nd Place: “Garden Whimsy”
Sarah Glas grew up in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. As a child, she first started making art on her easel at the age of six and fell in love with it. She ended up painting and drawing as much as she could since then. She won her first art contest in fourth grade, where she designed a book mark that was supposed to reflect peace and unity around the world through literature. As the years went on, she had more of her art chosen to be displayed in various places, such as the front office of her middle school and multiple film festivals in union county.
Today, she lives in Charlotte, North Carolina, where she’ll be a sophomore at UNC Chapel Hill, and continues develop her creativity. You can find her and her most recent works on instagram @sarah_glas.
3rd place: “Dahlia Delight” by Julia Geaney-Moore
Julia Geaney-Moore, 3rd Place: “Dahlia Delight”
My name is Julia Geaney-Moore and I find nature calming and inspiring. Having grown up in New Hampshire and gone to a Waldorf School, we were taught to interact with nature and use our creativity whenever possible. In kindergarten we learned how to sew and how to make miniature sculptures out of beeswax. In first grade we learned to knit our own hats, and began practicing drawing symmetrical forms such as Celtic knots. By seventh grade we were required to hand-sew a doll with crocheted hair and handmade clothes. Given this background, I enjoy working with all mediums, including written art.
This schooling taught me to value the act of creating, and now I make sure to join in at every new art opportunity. In 2018, I created a miniature sculpture of Norm the Niner. The sculpture earned first place prize for the UNC Charlotte Staff Talent Contest. I also had the joy of winning a mural contest for the CCI department in 2017. This mural can be found in Woodward Hall by the Dean’s office.