Paintings by three students at the Life Ready Center will join the works of other local artists on display at a downtown Lawton business.
Artists Mia Feliciano and Deann Pearson, both of Eisenhower High School, and Natalie Fassett, MacArthur High School, created two paintings which will hang in the Hall of Inspiration at FISTA.
The three 16-year-olds spent part of the second semester bringing their images to life on 4-foot by 5-foot canvases. One of the paintings was a collaboration among the three, while Feliciano also created one of her own.
Feliciano’s painting features a military-type tank, with a key like a windup toy in the back of it, aimed at a skull with a generic skyline in the background. Red vines trail out from the skull and wrap around the turret of the tank.
Feliciano said the painting is not necessarily about war or death. She said she drew a tank “because I thought it looked cool. I enjoy painting metal with that kind of lighting.” She said the skull represents rebirth since the vines are growing out of it and coming out of the skyline as well.
“I saw it as fun and creative to do,” Feliciano said.
The other painting is primarily blue and features flowers mingled with wheels and cogs. Pearson said the design was mainly hers, but had input from Feliciano and Fassett.
“I was mainly combining nature and fashion with technology,” Pearson said.
Fassett described her role as mainly painting and executing the idea, although she also contributed ideas to the design.
LRC art teacher Scott Smith said he was asked by a FISTA official if his students would like to contribute to the art display. The two requirements for the artwork were that it must be in primary colors and show beauty and technology. The students turned in numerous sketches of their ideas before settling on the final design.
Feliciano said her original idea was a skull in the middle of the canvas, but the proportions were difficult, so she added the tank and skyline. The final sketches were then projected onto the canvas and the students traced the images before beginning to paint.
The three said they were proud that their artwork will be displayed where others can enjoy it.
“I think it shows anyone at any age can do something,” Pearson said. “Everything takes effort and time. When you are making really big projects, you can always use teamwork. We all had a lot of fun.”
“I think it will look really, really good for future college boards,” said Fassett, who wants to be an art teacher. The painting is the second thing she has done for FISTA; she designed the mascot for the robotics team.