Ramona Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) representatives awarded checks and certificates to three Ramona High School students who were winners of the Young American Creative Patriotic Art Contest.
Shiloh Dixon won First Place and received $225, Jannah Kato won a Second Place award of $150 plus a People’s Choice award of $25, and Emily Carrillo won Third Place with a $100 prize at the April 22 award ceremony.
Ramona ninth- through 12th-graders were invited to use their imagination to create patriotic-themed artwork for the annual VFW contest, said Dianne Fink, VFW Post 3783 Auxiliary president.
“The artistic ability of the students every year touches me,” Fink said.
Fink told the winners and other art students in Visual & Performing Arts Teacher Liz Schaude’s class that she was proud of the them for being willing to share their artwork publicly.
“It takes a lot of bravery to do this,” she said. “Your artwork is worth it because it comes from you and it comes from the heart.”
First place-winner Shiloh, 14, created a piece with acrylic paint and colored pencils titled, “Home of the Free Because of the Brave.” Her artwork features a heart with an American flag design.
“The heart with a bullet hole through the middle of it represents what people in the Army, Navy (and other military branches) are going through,” the ninth-grader said. “They’re putting their lives at risk. The heart represents our whole country’s heart.”
Shiloh said she was “surprised and happy” she won the contest for artwork she made in her Drawing Painting 1 class. She said she may use her cash award to buy a car or save it for attending college at either UC San Diego or San Diego State University. Her career goal is to be an anesthesiologist.
“Next year I’ll take a Drawing Painting 2 class and that will help for next year’s patriotic art contest,” she said.
Shiloh’s painting will advance to the district level VFW competition, and the winner of that contest will advance to a state competition. From there, the first place winner will be able to compete for a national scholarship of $35,000, Fink said.
Shiloh’s friend, Jannah Kato, won second place and People’s Choice awards for her colored pencil and acrylic painting titled, “Liberty.” Jannah said her Statue of Liberty painting represents freedom and liberty.
“I was pretty happy I won awards,” she said. “I was surprised. It put a smile on my face.”
She said she plans to donate her prize money to charity or save it for college. Her goal is to become a doctor.
Jannah said she created the Statue of Liberty piece in a Drawing Painting 1 class and will likely enter the patriotic art contest again next year.
“I have no idea what I’ll paint next year, but my imagination will spark something when it’s time,” she said. “I hope this is very inspiring to some people.”
Third place-winner Emily Carrillo was unable to attend the awards presentation. Her artwork titled, “Freedom Fly” shows a military airplane with red, white and blue stripes in the sky.
Contest judges were Johnathan Martinez, Elaine Lyttleton and Cheryl Van Dyne. The People’s Choice award was selected by people who viewed the art at the Ramona VFW Post on April 3.
Schaude said she hopes the artwork made by the VFW contest winners can be displayed at the Ramona Unified School District student exhibit during the month of May at 2Create Gallery, 438 Main St., in Ramona.
The exhibit will start with the monthly First Friday Open House at the gallery from 5 to 7 p.m. Friday, May 2. The show is being hosted by 2Create Gallery owner Molly Begent and the Ramona Arts Center Director Helen Wilson. The opening is free and refreshments will be available.
“Some of these kids are great artists so it will be a fun show,” Begent said.
Regular gallery hours are noon to 5 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays. For more information, call 619-985-9584.
