BUENA PARK
TO LIVE AND REMAIN
Brianna Ibarra
Idea: My idea was to represent the duality of life and death; with the skeleton, the face, and the prickly pear cacti, life consists of carrying death within, not as a threat, but as a reminder of the value, time, and importance of the present moment.
Materials: Oil paint
Process: For this painting, I created a textured canvas to make the piece interesting; I used the impasto technique in some parts of the work to add depth, I employed warm colors to convey emotion and vitality, and a balanced composition to emphasize duality.
2026 Painting Gallery
UNITY IN COLOR
Cynthia Gonzalez
Idea: Brave people of color have been celebrated throughout history, but not many know of Elizabeth Catlett’s activism. This piece was made in her honor, as a thanks for spreading her voice and sharing her continued belief in the power of ethnic communities.
Materials: Stretched canvas, acrylic paint
Process: Used Elizabeth Catlett’s statues to collage the piece, creating unity by setting base values and structured with an underpainting. Set background before the foreground, built the form with acrylic paint & highlighted brighter points to create emphasis.
GOOD OR BAD FORTUNE?
Genesee Lizbeth Ventura
Idea: Is suffering an inevitable part of the natural condition, or is it a problem to be solved? 2 Koi fish represent good fortune; the irony is that the fish gets caught, which is not so lucky. The shell symbolizes the cycle of life, and suffering is part of the process.
Materials: Guache, acrylic marker, acrylic paint
Process: Scribble with both hands for the first underlay of markers. Used water to make shapes and interesting colors bleeds. Complimentary hues and black bold outlines using stratigeic patterns as fine details to give a unique style in hue variations.
HEADSPACE
Blair Cuevas
Idea: Growing up, I didn't have the vocabulary to explain why I felt disconnected from my own body, and from the people around me. Once I discovered I'm non-binary, my whole perspective changed.
Materials: Acrylic paint
Process: After scavenging for a childhood photo of my siblings and I, I applied acrylic paint thin/thick, integrating realism and surrealism. And building up creativity and depth as the painting progressed.
THE DENTIST
Katelyn Rodriguez
Idea: This piece, a part of my sustained investigation, pays homage to the great fear of dentists I had as a child. It portrays dentists as looming, terrifying entities because that is how I saw them when I was young.
Materials: Acrylic paint
Process: I created several drafts for the piece before finally settling on a final composition. I built up dark values in order to make the dentists appear ominous and used a complementary color scheme to increase contrast and highlight my own face.
FULLERTON UNION
FULLERTON AUDITORIUM
Finley Simon
Idea: I wanted to capture the bell tower on the Fullerton Auditorium in a way that not only allows it to stand as architecture on its own, but also how it is complimented by the nature surrounding it.
Materials: Acrylic paint
Process: I took pictures of the tower from various angles and sketched them to practice. I began by painting the sky and blocking out where I wanted the leaves and the tower. I painted the leaves first and finished the tower from the bottom up afterwards.
LA HABRA
DEATH’S GARDEN
Emma Gallardo
Idea: I wanted to portray the a contrasting idea of death as a gentle force of nature, who fosters new life and new beginnings as opposed to the pain people often associate it with.
Materials: India Ink and Watercolors
Process: I chose to depict a crow, a common omen of death who are often misunderstood despite being quite social. I also included 2 kinds of flowers associated with death, cempasuchil and white lilies, to show how beauty and life can emerge from death.
MASCARA
Violet Delphin
Idea: My idea for this piece was me doing my make up in the morning I kept poking my eye with the mascara wand. So this piece came from the frustration and how it can feel at times.
Materials: India ink and water color
Process: I started sketching it on copy paper the transferd it onto watercolor paper with transfer paper. Then I went over the traced sketch with india ink then once that dried I colored it with water color while trying to keep each of the colors separate from one another.
SONORA
GROWING TRANSITION
Ann Cho
Idea: I wanted to express the major stages of life: youngster, education (pencil), marriage/love (flower&ring), career (shaking hands), and a wrap with a "aged" hand. Through our stages within life people go through various interactions and experiences. The beauty of plants also "grow" where they go through the stages of blooming to wither.
Materials: Acrylic Paint, Colored Pencils
Process: I did a sketch of the artwork and then started with the painting of the hands. The flowers generally went through an acrylic wash and was highlighted with colored pencils. After leaving the piece unattended for a few months, I brought it out once again where the glass effect was put into the vase.
FEATHERS AND FREEDOM
Vivianne Lee
Idea: I wanted my piece to reflect my belief that all animals deserve freedom and a place in the world, undisturbed by human industry.
Materials: Watercolor, Oil pastel, Acrylic
Process: I first used watercolor as my base then layered it with acrylics and oil pastel to create an emotional depth to the painting. I wanted to emphasize more of the texture in this painting from the oil pastel.
CITY OF STARS
Leah Snyder
Idea: 'City of Stars" is based on the iconic 2016 film, La La Land. This piece was created for a "Color and Light" art show at Sonora High School, which inspired the vibrant colors, and contrast between shadow and light.
Materials: Acrylic paint, canvas
Process: This piece was a long process, 15 hours specifically. This piece took me especially long because it was my first time using acrylic paint in 9 years, and I was struggling to create a good ombré for the sunset, the shadow on the floor, while trying not to disrupt the shadow and light on the characters, it was difficult.
EZIO
Wendy Palacios
Idea: My idea was to capture my nephew's true self. The Pluto on his shirt stands out to give a sense of wonder. It is there to symbolize the fun and joyfulness of a child, giving the piece a silly detail that breaks the seriousness of it all.
Materials: Watercolor
Process: With a lot of practice and learning new things, I became very proud of my outcome. I first found a picture my sister loved of my nephew. I created a sketch, erased it for a lighter look, then mixed the correct colors to bring life to the painting.
BEST FOOT FORWARD
Wonnie Chung
Idea: This painting reimagines “put your best foot forward” as an evaluation of authenticity and vulnerability. An exaggerated foot symbolizes openness and connection and expresses a humorous approach to sincerity and self-acceptance.
Materials: Oil on canvas
Process: Using thick, visible brushstrokes and distortions in perspective, I aimed to emphasize radiance and sincerity rather than perfection. The warm tones of the skin contrast with the cool blues of her jeans to highlight comfort in self-expression.
SYMMETRY
Wonnie Chung
Idea: This piece examines the pressure to appear perfect and the way those expectations can distort one's sense of self. I wanted to capture the feeling of stretching myself too thin while trying to meet cultural and familial standards that often felt unattainable.
Materials: Oil Paint
Process: Using layered brushstrokes and warped proportions, I distorted my features to reflect the pressure of perfection. The physical stretching of the face mirrors how cultural and familial expectations pulled me in many different directions.
CONTENT MEN
Grace Hong
Idea: This piece explores contentment rather than happiness. While we often work toward distant goals, fulfillment exists in the everyday. The figures search for an “end,” only to realize the satisfaction they seek is already present in light, color, and nature.
Materials: Gouache on Bristol paper
Process: I began with thumbnail sketches, shifting focus from the background to the figures. I built the painting in layers, starting with warm washes and blocking color before details. Gouache required patience, especially in the sky, which was layered last to create a rainy atmosphere.
SUNNY HILLS
PIECES OF ME
Emily Tam
Idea: This piece reflects who I am without the pressure of pleasing other people. Egg shells break to appease others, while egg yolk flows with the freedom of expression. It is important to be comfortable not always fulfilling other people’s needs before our own. Self-expression makes us who we are.
Materials: Acrylic, pastel, color pencil, egg shells
Process: This artwork was created by layering an interesting composition of faces. I used acrylic to develop basic values. Pastels and color pencils were used for fine hairs and vibrant details. Lastly, I glued egg shells to experiment with non-traditional mediums, hinting at my concept.
SWEET IN PINK
Jolene Wei
Idea: My idea explores what I would be if I were a food item by placing myself inside a parfait cup. Since many people associate me with the color pink, the pink tones and surrounding parfaits reflect my sweet, cheerful, and welcoming personality.
Materials: Gouache
Process: I filled the surrounding parfaits with some of my favorite sweets: pudding and strawberries. I painted my hands reaching out of the canvas to create a warm, inviting scene that draws viewers in.
A MOMNET IN THE SUN
Juni Lee
Idea: I depicted a person standing in sunlight, feeling grass and wind. Her calm expression represents peace and inner freedom. The work reflects my realization that freedom shapes emotions, growth, and the simple joy of existing without restraint.
Materials: Acrylic
Process: I drew a person from the side to create a calm, reflective mood and added grass to express peace and freedom. The windblown hair and highlights help the figure feel connected to nature, while bright light adds warmth and a sense of calm.
“PUNCHING BAG”
Wesley Isaac Kim
Idea: This piece captures the feelings that the youngest sibling feels from getting beat up and bullied by their older brothers. The dramatized close-up along with the dark background shows the pain, fear, and vulnerability of being the youngest sibling.
Materials: Oil paint
Process: I painted the people shone under a spotlight to add to the drama effect. For the background, I initially went with a colorful impact effect inspired from comic books, but switched to all black with red splatter to give it a more dark and bloody mood.
TROY
LAST MOMENTS
Sidra Lashlee
Idea: I captured a soldier’s last moments–the guilt of the person who just happened to be born as an enemy paired with the euphoria the fallen soldier has as he remembers who he is fighting for, holding a dog tag, symbolizing the honor of a soldier dying fighting.
Materials: Acrylic paint
Process: My process was putting a orange underlayer over my sketch, then filling out brown blocks of trees, and continued to layer the tints and shades of each color to bring out the emotion I wanted to portray.
ALONE AT SEA
Carolina Bravo
Idea: I represented the feeling of being alone but still at peace. The turtle in the middle of the ocean with no surroundings represents how sometimes you need to escape the world around you. Feeling alone can be difficult but it isn't always a bad thing. Solitude can be a moment of freedom, calmness, and a way to learn more of who you are.
Materials: Acrylic paint
Process: My process began by looking at images that showed strong texture. I sketched the smaller details before deciding to paint the turtle. I left the background empty to focus on the turtle only to symbolize solitude. The turtle stands out and brings the feeling of calmness which is what I was trying to convey
THE SHAPE OF FAILURE
Kayla Kim
Idea: Thomas Edison's quote, "I have not failed. I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work.", inspired my art. Girl is in front of a single fallen foot, not aware of the foot-shaped trophies of success. Trophy's in the back resemble a body parts, suggesting that these trophies were once the failures.The trophies form foot shapes, to say, Never give up!
Materials: Acrylic paint, gel pen
Process: I designed all the trophies with different body parts, then I developed the composition by layering the various shapes of trophies to build the shape of a foot that represents a victory. I primarily focused on visualizing the flow of emotions and reconstructing the inner movements into visual language through Art Elements
THE CRADLE IN MOTHER’S WARDROBE
Kayla Kim
Idea: This still life depicts my mother’s wardrobe. A traditional Korean mother-of-pearl piece that my mother got when she married. Toys and books I loved early. A paper doll music box that I made and an teddy bear remain wrapped and preserved. The small ballet shoes, the well-used jump rope, and my childhood photographs capture my mother's deep love.
Materials: Acrylic
Process: I gathered all my old childhood stuff, such as my baby photos, toys I played with, dolls, and children's books. Then, I arranged all the objects in my mom’s wardrobe and took a picture. Finally, with acrylic paint, I draw the still life of my memories.