2015 Harry Hart Memorial Senior Scholarship Winners

The Harry Hart Memorial Scholarships are named in honor of long-time KAEA member Harry Hart who passed away in 2009.  The Kansas Art Education Association gives TWO $500.00 scholarships each year which are paid directly to the Institutes of Higher Learning chosen by the winning student.

This year's scholarship winners are Miranda Pratt from Lawrence High School, student of Wendy Vertacnik, and, Madeline Smith of Washburn Rural High School, student of Bradley LeDuc. 

	Miranda Pratt: Artist Statement I have wanted to be an artist since I was three years old. My style reflects the same sense of wonder I had when I was a child, through the exploration of feminine identity. I use ethereal variations on primary color palates to create an atmosphere reminiscent of old fairy tales and feminine nature. I have been greatly inspired by Alphonse Mucha, the frontrunner of the Art Nouveau movement, with his treatment of the female figure and use of ethereal color palates. My body of work mainly consists of a variety of
self-portraits, both observational andinventive. My pieces include experimentation of light, color, composition and medium. Many of my works have an underlying feminist message and explore what feminism and femininity mean to the individual. Next year I will continue to evolve my style by attending either the Milwaukee Institute of Art and Design or the Kansas City Art Institute. I hope to major in painting or illustration.

	Madeline Smith: Artist Statement "Ever since I was in elementary school, I have worked by planning and not by fixing. I have always been told to "measure twice, cut once" by my father whenever we would work with tools in the garage and tried to apply that same concept to my art until recently when my AP Studio Art class
had a guest painter paint en plein air. The artist spent more time observing what he was painting rather than on his stroke or where he even placed his brush, which was a foreign concept to me, for I learned todraw my paintings with a pencil first, leaving the acrylic for the final product. I have learned now with art that I work much better when I substitute a detailed plan for a looser, more free technique, which I successfully showed through my piece, "Tying That Knot". My other favorite media is watercolor for its soft texture and light transparency gives the piece a feeling of comfort and delicacy like that of, "The Angel of the Gap", and "Patching Up". I will be continuing my art at Kansas State University with majors in art and secondary education as well as a leadership minor in hopes of becoming an art teacher for high schoolers."