IVC students’ art to hang in new airport
- Details
- Category: Schools
- Published on Saturday, 04 February 2012 13:25
- Written by Karen Moewe
The artwork of three Illinois Valley Central High School students will soon hang in the General Wayne A. Downing Peoria International Airport.
Airport authorities contacted 10 area high schools to produce a piece of art to display. IVC High School art teacher Mike Gray informed all of his classes about the request and asked for students to volunteer their time.
Accepting the challenge to create a piece from IVC High School were Liam Price, Laura Hedden and Erica Greskoviak. The two seniors and one junior, respectively, worked outside of school hours to complete the piece.
Dick Blick Art Supplies donated the canvass and acrylic paints for the students to use. The only guideline from airport officials was that the art be related to aviation. Gray’s only request was that the students think outside the box.
Price, Hedden and Greskoviak said they immediately knew that they didn’t want to have a typical plane in the picture because there wasn’t enough color in a plane.
Price sketched an idea on a piece of notebook paper and it was a winner. The trio immediately went to work developing the sketch of a hot air balloon sailing over mountains and the water into a painting with a vivid color palette.
Gray said they turned to Greskoviak for her abilities to mix paint colors, develop the color theme and paint the many shades of sky. Hedden’s artistic abilities were put to use painting trees and the balloon. Price adapted his notebooks sketch to the canvass and painted the mountains and water.
Gray reports that the students worked very well together, not only coordinating the work they did, but the times they did it. They even put in time during the winter break to complete the piece.
Neither Price nor Hedden sees art as their vocation after school. Price sees it as a hobby and Hedden noted, “It’s not a career, but will always be a hobby.”
Greskoviak said she would like to work toward a career which “branches off of art.”
“I am proud of the hard work and dedication that these students showed during the time they worked on the painting. I think their artwork will represent IVC and the Chillicothe community well when it is on display at the Peoria airport,” said Gray.
All three students are excited about the airport’s unveiling ceremony which is expected to be mid-February. All are proud to have their artwork represent IVC.
Hedden said her wants her grandfather to attend and see her work. “He will like it because he likes hot air balloons.”
Price and Greskoviak look forward to the unveiling of their artwork too.
Greskoviak hopes everyone who sees their painting appreciates it as much as they appreciated the opportunity to create it. “We worked really hard and hope everyone enjoys it as much as we do.”
