2026 Gallery

Growing up, I thought castles were a thing of fantasy. Large, medieval strongholds, hosting warriors of steel, royalty of all kinds, banquets stretching miles long, and large, fiery dragons? Surely not! They were indeed a thing of fascination for me—I loved playing with my imagination with friends, all of whom became knights with inconceivably cool swords, taking down ferocious beasts of our choosing. ​ This castle, Schloss Neuschwanstein, was built in the 1800s for King Ludwig II, who desired a castle that was deeply beautiful and German. It was built on top of a tall mountain, designed to bring the inhabitants closer to heaven and provide a serene overview of the surrounding village.   ​I was inspired to take this photo to capture not only the breathtaking scene but the sense of imagination castles brought me as a kid. This angle of the castle captures the incredible heights it stands on, with an almost impossibly high feeling to it. I took the shot from a separate peak to ensure the focus of the shot would be not only the castle, but the environment too. With this photo, I want to inspire people who dreamt about castles to play just as I had, and perhaps one day explore one of the many real castles in the world.

“Before & After” is a piece about how when we were/are kids, we see things from a simple point of view. We would draw with easy mediums like crayons. As kids we dream about how easy life is and we dream about how “we will be away from parents” with “no rules!”, which is the “before” part of this artwork. We see it from this one lens. In the “After” lens, we see how life can change in a short amount of time. Life can get dark and less bright. We can lose a loved one. Everything becomes more faded too. And we were just wishing we could have the easy dreams when we were kids. This connects to “The Power of Dreaming” because sometimes dreaming is not always good. After dreaming you picture this perfect word then when you wake up, you imagined this perfect word and it is nothing compared to what you dream. Sometimes it is but not always. The power of dreaming is a great and a horrible thing at the same time.

How my artwork relates to the power of dreaming. My artwork relates to the power of dreaming because it conveys a sense of relief. All the stress you build up throughout the day, every task you do. You escape it all by the power of dreaming. From work, to grades, and even anger. When you dream, it is like you're in your own little bubble. Your body is there, but your mind is elsewhere. All of those thoughts of stress, love, and anger vanish, for those amazing hours. I conveyed this in my art by making a bubble around all those thoughts. Also, spirals remind me of dreaming. Spirals are very mesmerizing and I feel that dreams are too. I used lots of cool colors, and a very cool technique with tissue paper. Dreams aren't always complete. You get woken up by your alarm, your siblings wake you up, the dog barks, or so many other reasons. To show this idea in my art, I didn't choose to create a full colored background. There are rough edges, spots of white, and colors overlapping, just like how dreams aren't always complete. Dreams hold many powers, and my art shows that. Hailey J. Carroll

My piece represents dreaming, just not by a human. The dragon has just hatched and is very small compared to everything else. He dreams of getting bigger so he can explore. I used paint, colored pencil, pencil and tore the paper to create texture. Dreams aren’t 2 dimensional, so I didn’t want my art to be. According to my after school art class, the dragon’s name is Fern, short for Fernando.

I believe that the unconscious mind is the most creative part of our brain. So many amazing and surreal things show up in our dreams. In my artwork, I represented these surreal visions and even incorporated aspects of my own dreams. I used bright colors, multiple styles, and multiple mediums to represent the range of what dreams are like. I drew scary or creepy imaginings to represent nightmares or creepy dreams. I made cartoony creatures to show fun or interesting dreams, and I drew colorful abstract or surreal images to represent very loose colorful dreams. I drew with pencils, crayons, pens, and oil pastels. Giving the piece many different textures and styles. I used paint and paint pens to create interesting creatures, shapes, and plants that popped out against the rest of the piece. I also used two styles that were new to me, a style of printmaking that uses bleeding tissue paper and water to transfer color onto the page, and a style using salt and water to create a crystalline texture. My inspirations include surrealists like Salvador Dali and René Magritte, I also took inspiration from Picasso's surreal work and Monet’s impressionism. I believe that my biggest inspiration was the creatures and stories that appear in my own dreams. My art represents the power of dreaming because its amazing and surreal elements can only be created in a dream.

The path of dreams My artwork is named, “ the path of dreams “ because of how it's a path through a mystical forest. I painted this with watercolor and it took me about 5 tries to get the sky right! I made it blue and added a few clouds and a subtle mist with spots of color to represent how mysterious dreams are. My artwork relates to the theme because of how it's not natural, how often do people see blue trees and grass at night? Never. I was originally planning to make it look like there were fire flies flying around at night. But since I used white paint it looks like it's snowing, which I think makes it look very pretty. My artwork is filled with pine trees because I feel like they are more mysterious than regular trees. The path is supposed to go one forever, but it does not look like that though, but, you can’t see where it ends… Overall, I strongly believe that my art represents the mystery and power of dreaming.

I suppose all humans dream of world peace. Only about 8% of recorded history (about 275 years) has had no major conflict. Humans have attempted to unite all nations many times- the short lived League of Nations; the UN, the EU, the many empires throughout history- but they’ve all failed. The UN ignores terrorism and genocide. The EU is exclusionary and disorderly. The League of Nations fell apart. The Romans, the Mongols, the Greeks, the Caliphates- all gone. For 92% of our history or more, we have been warring. Nobody truly wants war. They often only want resources, land, or power. Most of us just want to sit down and eat the various types of donuts our cultures have invented. This artwork gives off the aesthetic of a child’s toy sitting on a shelf, waiting. Just as we wait for peace.

My artwork reflects the power of dreaming by showing how dreams and imagination can connect to real life. The figure in the space represents dreams, ideas, and people’s inner thoughts, while the mirrored figure below represents reality. The puzzle-like shapes show how dreams help shape who we are and how we see the world. By connecting both figures, the artwork shows that dreaming has the power to influence reality and inspire growth.

I chose to draw my piece for the theme of power of dreaming because I feel like it just expresses my mind very well in a way of day dreaming because everything that I thought of to draw on the paper came from purely my mind. I feel like my piece of art gives a kind of calming exciting adventure type of artwork. My art piece also applies to me because some of the things I drew are things that I love, including the animals, nature, and the stuffed monkey! Some of the many things I love about this art work is my eye that I made of hot glue layered on, I also took a lot of time and effort into the dragon, tree, and really my whole art piece! This has been one of my favorite pieces of art I've made in a while and I really loved this topic!

This portrait captures the small yet vibrant world that lives on my dresser, a collection of jewelry that feels like a dream. Each bracelet, necklace, and earring shines brightly against a loose, colorful underpainting, blurring the line between reality and imagination- the energetic brushstrokes beneath them give the space a floating quality, as if it belongs just as much to a dream as to my bedroom. Every piece carries its own memory and meaning, but together they create a magical environment that feels alive, constantly shifting between the real and the imagined. Growing up in a private school environment meant spending years in the same plaid skirt and collared shirt. However I learned to make this uniform my own by adding the perfect golden touch. This small freedom taught me how powerful personal embellishment can be, and the magic of jewelry has stayed with me since. Those small details felt powerful, almost unreal in how much freedom they gave me. Over time, jewelry became more than an accessory; it became a symbol of self-expression and possibility. In this portrait, my collection exists as it truly is, yet it also reflects how it feels in my mind, a glowing dreamlike world shaped by memory, imagination, and identity.

My artwork is about the power of dreaming and how dreaming helps me understand myself and my future. I use mixed media, including Procreate to create layers and distort images to make them feel emotional and personal. I worked in a loose way and let my ideas come naturally as I created. Dreaming is important to me because it gives me hope and helps me think about who I am. I am inspired by my own experiences, memories, and the thoughts that I have when I dream. Through this artwork, I want viewers to feel as if they are in my dream themselves. I hope my work can encourage others to use their own dreams as art to help guide them forward

I created this digital collage on Procreate to emphasize the elements we tend to see in the world we live in today. To create this piece, I captured pictures in magazines and digitally cut them out on Procreate, where I then layered them to add depth. I tried to get many images of the buildings and other elements found in cities, as well as construction pieces to help convey the theme. My intent in creating this piece was to ask the viewer to question why the world is depicted in this way, and what the implications of a hand holding a final tree up before a crane begins destroying it could mean. These questions can develop different themes for everyone, but the universal feeling I was going for was loss, and how greedy a world based on efficiency over beauty can become.

My artwork explores the interpretation of the mind towards the future. I had used the digital app known as Procreate for creating my piece. It is a  collage of different items such as pictures of magazines, real life objects, and images found digitally. Each picture represented parts of the environment in contrast with human contact. Additionally, it represents the future of humanity to the viewer, focusing on a man who is dreaming about how global warming and pollution will affect the future of our planet.

My artwork connects to the theme “The Power of Dreaming” because it is a surreal collage that is supposed to not look real, and rather like a dream. The medium I used was Procreate to create a digital art piece. I took pictures of different magazines and digitally cut and pasted them on Procreate. The central theme of my art piece is to show how today’s world is focused on materialistic things and not on the animals that are endangered or going extinct. I added animals sinking in money to show how they are being pushed away and ignored from the world. My motivation to do this was to show everyone what kind of world we are living in. It is supposed to make the viewer acknowledge this issue and think about how they can save these endangered animals.

This piece shows the imagination of childhood, where the sky is not the limit, but the playground. The contrast between the gray scale and the playful colors show how imagination can bring color into our world. Through this work I reflected on the freedom and the power of believing in dreams.

The Power of Dreaming is a concept that is limitless.  Dreaming is about hope and wonder and should not be confined by the standards of society.  My painting was intended to portray a very dream like setting.  This watercolor shows my bedroom in a quiet, in-between moment, with light coming through the window. I chose to paint my own space because it’s where I think the most. It’s an ordinary room, but it holds a lot of unseen thoughts.  This photo is taken sitting in my bed right after I woke up.  I loved the way the light came into my room and hit so many objects.  I used watercolor to create softness and slight blur, so the room feels suspended between reality and imagination. The boundaries aren’t sharp, which reflects how dreams don’t always have clear edges.  

My art illustrates dreaming because in my dreams there are a lot of vivid colors and abstract images. The character in my art piece is an animated version of myself and how I would see myself if I was in some sort of cartoon.  Dreaming is very important to me because it's a place in my mind where I can go and escape from the real world.  I can dream about anything I want and it makes it exciting when I sleep at night.  Every night when I go to bed I just hope my mind can create something for me to dream about.

The sea remembers her name, even when she forgets it herself. It remembers the weight she carried into the water; the grief pressed into her ribs, the silence tangled in her hair. It remembers how she sank not from weakness, but exhaustion, how the waves closed over her like a long-held breath. The sea does not judge this. It has swallowed worse and held gentler things. When she rises, the light finds her before the world does. The sun frames her in gold, not to save her, but to witness her. She is not whole. She is not healed. She is here. That is enough. The water still clings to her body, tugging, testing, asking if she will stay. But the sea already knows the answer. It has learned her shape, her resistance, the way she returns no matter how many times she disappears beneath the surface. Names, like tides, are never lost...only carried. The water remembers her essence, even if she forgets.

The power of dreaming is in my art because I took my dreams out of my head and put them onto a piece of paper. Dreaming is important to me because it's fun to explore your dreams and sometimes you might want to explore where you want to go and the beautiful colors.  Sometimes, you might not be able to go to those places in real life so dreaming about them is fun and gives you a chance to go there in your dreams.

During my life, I haven't stepped out of my comfort zone. I have followed all the rules as I should and almost just "laid low" in school. This piece made it slightly hard to follow those rules. There weren't many guidelines or rules in general. It was, surreal. Literally. This piece was done digitally, which was also very foreign to me. I used a lot of tools on procreate, especially the eraser tool to erase the background of all my cutouts. The central theme of my piece is basically pushing yourself to the best you can be and taking risks that a lot of people wouldn't be able to take. I've always looked up to people who take these steps towards things they want in their life and all their goals. Me on the other hand, I back away. But slowly and surely I'm making my way to that point in my life where I can take that step. Overall, this piece was different, but an opportunity to experiment and overcome things that may scare me in anyway.

I opened my eyes slowly, still half asleep, and for a moment I thought I was in my childhood bedroom. The air shimmered like a memory I couldn’t quite hold onto. And that’s when I heard it. “Mmmm… cookie…” A large, blue, fuzzy shape shuffled past the hall. “No way…” And there, standing at the counter, crumbs everywhere, was Cookie Monster. Real. Blue. Fuzzy. And happily chewing. “YOU HERE!” he said happily. “GOOD. COOKIES GETTING LONELY.” “I… I’m dreaming,” you said. “Maybe,” he said. “Or maybe you remembering.” On the counter was a plate of cookies. “I forgot these,” you said quietly. “Sometimes grown-ups forget best cookies,” he said. “Not cookies for eating. Cookies for remembering.” You took a bite. “I didn’t know I missed this,” I whispered. “That why you here,” he said gently. “Dream bring you back.” “Little happy things. Smells. Sounds. Feelings.” “What happens when I wake up?” you asked. “You not forget this time.” Cookie Monster waved. “Remember,” he said. “Grown-up, you still allowed to like cookies.” When I opened my eyes again, I was in bed. Morning light through the window still smelling chocolate. First time in a long time, really wanting to bake cookies.

Lying on the cool ground beneath the night sky, I stare up at the stars and let my mind drift into dreams of art. The sky feels like a mirror above me, but the reflection is never quite the same. The patterns of light, the endless darkness, and the quiet stillness create an image that feels familiar yet different, like looking into a dream instead of a reflection

Once, there was a little girl who dreamed of becoming a doctor. She dreamed so much about it that she nearly drove her parents crazy. One day, they told her about an old tree just outside the village that was said to make wishes come true. They told her, “When the sun begins to set, go to that tree, say your dream out loud, and then leave. Dreams come true there,” her dad said. She nodded, believing every word. That very evening, as the most turquoise sunset of the year painted the sky, she quietly left her home with hope in her heart. She walked all the way to the tree. Standing beneath its branches, she whispered her dream over and over again. And that little girl… was me. Years later, as a doctor, I found myself saying to a young patient, “Dreams really do come true. You just have to believe they will.”

In this dreamlike world, my hand reaches out into open space, as if I’m trying to touch the impossible. Floating nearby is a strange donut-shaped planet with a single watchful eye at its center. Tiny turtles drift and tumble off its curved surface, falling slowly into the unknown. A Lego figure stands calmly with a camera, documenting the chaos as if it all makes perfect sense. Not far away, robots sit together playing a quiet game of Uno, while a red-and-blue robot watches. A box-shaped figure and a circle-shaped figure, both wearing gloves and top hats, stand side by side like performers waiting for their cue. Off in the distance, a man remains frozen in place, suspended in time. Scattered among these scenes is the unexpected presence of a scarecrow, oddly formed like a Taco Man, adding to the randomness that only dreams can create.

This 12x12" is an interrogation of the meaning behind birthdays, symbolised by the cake and the harsh spotlight from the lamp. The eerie feeling in the colors of the painting represent the realization that each birthday is just an anniversary of one year closer to death. Paradoxically the warm colors of the cake and candle are a celebration of making it to another year of life. A bright "cherry on top." The painting comes together to represent multiple contrasts such as warm vs cold, vanilla vs chocolate, free form (smoke) vs straight edges (table). This painting explores the negative and positive of celebrating birthdays, using the guise of a scientific investigation. There is no one right way to interpret birthdays, so enjoy a slice of cake while you think.

This piece is the visual representation of fighting off the nightmares of your own mind, and the outside world. Dreams are fueled by incredible desire and hope, colliding into a mental manifestation that can only be described as a miracle created in the mind, So when the inevitable bad in life comes to break you down, it is only the motivation of a dream that can exterminate the bad things in life such as self doubt, bullying, trauma, and any other demons, Dreams give you the strength not only to fight them, but to give them hell.

When I heard of the theme "Power of Dreaming" I thought back to my favorite poem "Warning" by Jenny Joseph. In it, she discusses her dreams for when she grows old, how she will wear purple and be rude, wild, and happy. Then, she states how regrettably now, young her, must not be like this – they are only just dreams, after all! Yet still, at the very end of her poem: "but maybe I ought to practice a little now/so those who know me are not too shocked and surprised when suddenly I am old and start to wear purple" represents how perhaps those dreams are not just for the future. Perhaps there is power in dreaming for the now. And so, I made this self-portrait. I sit on my most favorite (and unconventional) sofa, crocheting with my cat; piled around me are my beloved books and plants, and small knick-knacks on the shelf. All these objects and activities make up my “dream life", or what my greatest hopes for the future would be. But perhaps now is the time to create and love and be happy, for such a dream is the most powerful of all.

Reflection represents dreams not just as fantasies, but also as psychological states of motion. The composition focuses on a jeep, driving on a highway, vanishing into a radiant horizon, visually demonstrating that dreams serve as a directional force that compels us forward- even when the future is unclear. The unclear future is represented by the dark and hazy silhouette of the trees. Meanwhile, the sun, oversized and suspended above the road, serves as the symbolic focal point, casting light onto the road near the audience. The reflective roadway is especially significant. The sky's light on the roadway represents every possibility that guides you to your goal. The overpass that lies beneath the sun represents the threshold of transition, symbolizing the moment when one's dream becomes reality. Ultimately, I wanted Reflection to embody the process of the journey of pursuing one's dreams and aspirations: from the start, where we are introduced to the perspective of the jeep, to the goal that guides our path, demonstrated by the glowing sun, and finally, our unknown futures, signified by the ominous trees.

Inspired by this year’s theme, “The Power of Dreaming” I created a piece of surrealist wonder. A illustration that takes you far beyond reality to a land beyond your wildest dreams.

when making “Reaching for the Unseen”  I thought of things I want to do. Like travel the world and do fun activities. When I made this I wanted to go for a vibrant pop of color with my bucket list on top with Posca markers. I also added song lyrics that mean a lot to me or from my childhood that built me up to who I  am today.

This is a glimpse of all the dreams I will one day achieve. No dream is too big or too small. From aspiring to work for NASA and travel to space, to simply admiring the beauty of nature and capturing unforgettable moments through my photography or drawings. I will continue to plant seeds for new dreams and watch them grow. I created a piece that reflects who I am and the dreams that continue to guide me. I will work hard, visualize who I am and the dreams that continue to guide me. I will work hard, visualize who I can become, and remember that I am strong enough to hold the world in my hands.

My painting relates to the prompt “Power of Dreaming” because of the setting. In the painting, there is an algae like plant growing against the wall. The plant represents the ideas that come from dreaming. The power of these ideas are able to overcome a large area. These ideas from dreaming are able to impact and make a difference. It could be good or infectious, but is beautiful in a way all the same. This relates to the painting because the algae is beautiful, with pinks and yellows, but is still infectious and growing over the wall. This shows how the power of dreaming impacts certain situations. Another reason my painting connects to the prompt “Power of Dreaming” is because of what is in the algae in the painting. There are four faces in total through the infection of algae. There is one on the top which is a full face. It represents what can become of a person when their power of dreaming affects them. Near the bottom, there are two faces merged into each other. These represent the effects dreaming has on other people. It can cause people to make connections they didn't know they had. Near the top there is a skull face. This skull represents what becomes of people without the creativity that comes from dreaming. When people aren’t creative, they become a shell of what they could of become and their inner dreams get pushed down. Basically, the algae represents what the power of dreaming can do to the people and area around it. The face represents what can become of a person if they pursuit their dreams and follow the creativity that becomes of it. The two faces merging into each other represent what the power of dreaming does to people, and how it can cause connection. The skull represents what will become of a person if they don’t per suit their dreams.

Kaleidoscoped Sisters is a mixed media piece of myself and my close friend, Michaela. Growing up as an only child, I have often dreamt of having a sister. This has led me to view my close friends as makeshift sisters, with Michaela being the closest of all. In creating this piece, I wanted to explore the similarities and vast differences between Michaela's and my personalities. The main way I chose to express this was through color contrast. Michaela's purple and red color scheme displays her more reserved personality, while my bright green and pink color scheme highlights my outgoing personality. Once I had established our personalities through color, I connected squiggle patterns with each other's colors to show the connection between the two of us. Additonally many of the concepts for this piece were created while daydreaming on my drive to school; that being said, I wanted emit the feeling of day dreaming thoughout the piece. The childlike design of the flowers, swirls, and worms ties in the aspects of daydreaming. On top of that, the vibrant colors mixed with these elements bring forth a dreamlike nostalgia that portrays Michela and me as refracted sisters, connected through experience rather than blood.

This painting is called "Letting Go" because it's all about dreams and hopes. The dark background is the night sky, full of possibilities. The little lights are like our dreams, floating up into the world. The hand reaching up is someone trying to grab onto a dream. But the main point is that sometimes you have to let them go, like letting a lantern float away. It's about trusting that your dreams will go where they need to go, even if you can't hold onto them forever. The lanterns are bright and warm, showing that dreaming is a good thing, even if it feels a little scary to let them go. Dreaming is powerful because it gives us something to hope for. Even if things are dark, the dreams light up the sky. It's about having hope and believing that your dreams will actually happen, even if you can't control exactly where they go. It shows us that we can wish for things and maybe they'll come true and the importance of being brave enough to let those dreams fly free.

My artwork explores the power of dreaming as a way to see beyond other perceptions and define oneself. The central portrait shows a figure partially obscured by a red hand, symbolizing the obstacles that other use to hinder self-expression. Despite this barrier, one eye remains visible, representing a window to resiliency. On either side of the portrait are simplified figures with bright, contrasting colors. These figures represent are the same yet because of the varying angles seem seperate almost alien to each other. Together, both peices bright colors and stylistic contrast toe the line between hidden and revealed.

This piece resembles my grandpa holding a younger version of myself. Although the painting is based on a real photo of us reaching for Spanish moss, I focused on my childhood imagination rather than the memory's reality. The time I spent with my grandpa as a child was filled with storytelling, typically of his past or a chapter of the Narnia books to me before bedtime. My goal for this piece was to portray how my childhood imagination intertwines with my memories. While the “real” subjects of the painting are painted in acrylic with detail, the rest of the painting is less detailed, with larger brush strokes for the clouds or pasted-on stars. Additionally, small amounts of bright-blue wash are left between the subject and the background to separate us from the imaginative scenario. I remember many of the wild and captivating stories he told me throughout my childhood which have an affect on the way I perceive the world today; although I might not remember the exact words of my grandpa's stories, I remember how he taught me that the world has endless possibilities, and that I should “reach for the biggest stars” no matter what my goals are.

The main theme of this painting is foreshortening- using my hand to demand attention from the viewer and pushing perspective with texture in the front of the painting and a flat background towards the back. The piece has a very specific color palette with illuminating colors like pale orange, bold magenta, and light violet. Some areas are lightly defined and reveal the underpainting while others give the illusion of detail and express an overwhelming amount of color and value. The bright light blue of the rings is a continued theme through the halo above the girl’s head to emphasize the importance of that bright blue in the composition of the painting. The warm and cool color palette emphasize the polarization of her imagination. The gestural mark-making juxtapose with the articulate and descriptive edges push and pull the real with fantasy. The pose and body language of the girl is both deep in thought and confidently aware of her surroundings, and the halo above her emphasizes this self-proclaimed worth she possesses. She is both fantastical and certain.

My painting shows an aspect of Muslim beliefs. I am Muslim and it is important to me to share my religious beliefs with others because this is a way to connect to people. Muslims believe that when you dream you enter the spirit world. My painting features Jinn who is the gatekeeper of this realm. When you start dreaming Jinn will grant you wishes and will judge you based on your responses. If you are selfish you will have nightmares and if your wishes show your kindness, Jinn will let you into the spiritworld. Muslims believe that the spirit world is a place where people pray and reflect on who they are. This is a peaceful place. I think itś good for people to know this so that they have a deeper understanding of the true aspect of Muslim beliefs.

In this art piece I show how dreaming is powerful by having a fantasy setting. The reason I did this is because when I think of dreaming I think of dragons, castles, knights, wizards, magic and portals. When I added the wizard and knight fighting the dragon I showed that they are best friends and their home got destroyed by the dragon, so they followed it and tried to defeat it. With the knight and wizard being best friends, I imagine it as me and my best friends in a different world.

These are the ways my art represents the power of dreaming.The tree represents the brain since your brain goes into R.E.M. mode when you are sleeping. I wanted to collaborate with my favorite tree, the Japanese Sakura tree. To show my love for food and the sky by making the moon made of cheese.I wanted to add Zhang Zhu the Moon Eater from my favorite video game. I added a microphone to show the music artist Cher. I added fungi because I love them. The other reason I added the microphone is because one day I want to become an idol, the dinosaur wizard is to represent my family. They've helped me make my dreams possible for many years.The cloud resembles they make sure that I can never fall.I added the book because I want to write manga. I really love magic so I added a magical wand. I wanted an atom to represent how my family loves science. I made this painting to represent that dreams can let anyone see how creative they can be and to show the world dreams are a powerful tool.

This is the house my family goes to in the summer. It relates to the power of dreaming because it has changed a lot since the picture I based it on was taken and this project has allowed me to keep a piece of it the same just like how in dreams we are able to revisit old places, memories, and even people we once knew. We might not be able to actually go back in time but dreams allow us to bring a part of the past with us into the future. Art can do the same thing because it can create new memories even with things that no longer exist in reality.

I wanted to become a ballerina/dancer. I tried to show that dreams can take you anywhere. When I was younger I always wanted to become ballerina I was inspired by Misty Couple in the 4th grade I always asked my mother to put me in ballet classes, but we did not have enough money. When I got 6th grade (the grade I am in now) I started dancing with Rainy Institute dance Academy and Performed the 2025 Nutcracker! I was even a sugar palm fairy in the Nutcracker! This is why I made this piece of artwork to show dreams do come true if you work for them you can become anything you want to be but you just can't wish on a star because that little old star can only take you half of the way. My painting the supposed to look like a candy wonderland with dancers dancing wondering around so basically one of those random dreams.

The cover of my art piece says Dreams of 2026. I wanted to communicate what my dreams are and what I have to do to achieve them. Some of my dreams are going to a good high school and college. I also want to get a scholarship in soccer, and go professional. I also know that if I want to make these dreams come true. I'll need to put in the work. What I mean by that is lots of practice, going to the soccer field, doing drills and eating healthier than I usually do. So I incorporated that with a calendar, as my art piece. I added days to practice and other quotes inside the calendar that have to do with my personal dreams. I also wanted people to interact with my art piece. I want people to interact with my art piece, so it can feel fun. What I mean by that is, how cool it will feel to actually get to touch and flip the pages of an art piece at a real contest. If I were to be able to touch and interact with an art piece at a show I would be pretty happy. And I want it to communicate to other people's dreams and achievements, It´s like I want to communicate with the audience. The pictures and images I included were cloud bubble letters of Dream, and when I think of dreams I think of clouds. I also included some type of pink cloud dripping, that feels like I'm in a dream world. I actually researched about it and when you dream of that it means fleeting phase of happiness, such as the initial, high-energy, yet vulnerable phase of recovery known as the "pink cloud syndrome".

I made this piece this winter based on a picture I took in the fall when the weather was warmer. Through print monotype, I created the scene of the trees, using a paintbrush to add texture and darkness to the areas that needed it. For the background, I used transparent watercolor ground to create a surface I could paint on. With the sun peeking out from behind the trees and clouds, I wanted to create a sense of longing for its warmth and light as it begins to set. In dreaming of a warm and sunny day, the winter feels just a little bit less cold because there’s something to look forward to when the ground thaws. Dreaming to me is a way of getting through hard times, making a silver lining appear out of the clouds, and that makes it into a powerful force in my life. Combining my art with my dreams gives me something tangible to put them into, creating a physical reminder that there is almost always something good on the way, just like the promise of a sunny day at the end of a cold winter.

I wanted to compare what I look like dreaming to how I see myself in my dreams. As I’m sleeping, I’m surrounded by my art: the sketchbooks, markers, pencils are around me in my bed. They ingulf the space as they’re the most important things to me. In my dreams, my art continues to surround me, but instead of the tools it is my imagination. They are my ideas, my brainstorming. They make sharp curves and strange patterns. They are readable and are messy. And the “me” in the dream is how I imagine myself; someone who is confident, someone who is creative, someone who can take their ideas and replicate it perfectly onto the page. I worked mostly with alcohol markers, so to add contrast, I used acrylic paint markers to create a strong pop. The saturated, opaque lines against the light background add contrast and an otherworldly effect, which helps with carrying the presentation of a dream. I worked hard to have a contrast in the colors. Not only would the complementary colors pop against each other, but it would help to establish each of the realities. The purples and blues help with a sleepy atmosphere whereas the bright orange and yellows create a striking effect that adds to the dreamscape. The colored line art for the dream adds to the colors and imagery. Overall, I tried my best to create something that is both creative and spoke to me and my experience in being an artist.

Dreams can be many things but at their core they are what allow us to see something greater than ourselves, in our sleep or in our minds. Dreams can take us from something rudimentary and bring us to something that we can only imagine. But desire to bring into reality. Dreams are powerfully because they grow and can take root in our heart. They can flourish into something beautiful, allow us to see something incredible, bright, vivid, and different. Dreams are something that we create and stem from our mind, from our being, they are interpretations of what we want out of life and the world we see. And so, when they take root in the heart, they can become a driving force for us to do great things, to allow great things to be made through ourselves.

This painting shows a quiet moment in a bedroom, focusing on calm, light, and atmosphere. I wanted to capture a peaceful scene that feels still and personal, like a pause in the middle of a busy day. The soft light coming through the window helps set a relaxed mood and creates gentle shadows across the room, inviting the viewer to slow down and settle into the calm of the space. I started by sketching out the basic shapes and layout of the space, making sure the bed, chair, and window felt balanced. I focused on blending colors smoothly to create soft transitions, especially in the walls, bedding, and windows. For the blanket and fabric, I used thicker brushstrokes to show texture and movement in order to evoke a sense of warmth and quiet comfort, as if the room itself is breathing.