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Young artists win big at county fair
Camryn won seven first place awards and a Best of Division honor, the top award for her age group. Her most recognized painting was a design of a South Pacific seascape, inspired by her grandfather's home in Hawaii. The subjects of her other winning paintings included a koi fish, a snowman, a cottage and, her personal favorite, a cat on a piano. "It's my cat, Daisy. I like that painting because I worked hard on it," Camryn said. "I felt happy and proud." Camryn's talent for art runs in the family. She's a fourth generation artist, following in the footsteps of her mother, grandmother and great-grandfather, Michael Ward, who ran the Michael Ward oil painting studio in Agoura Hills for many years until retiring in 2004. Ward's granddaughter and Camryn's mom, Celeste Frederickson, took over the studio and changed its name to For Art's Sake , but continued to teach oil painting to artists of all ages. She estimates that thousands of students have come through the studio over the years, several pursuing art-related careers including commercial art and landscape and interior design. "For me, as their instructor, it is so rewarding to see what an impact these classes have on them," Frederickson said. Camryn was not the only student from the studio to find success at the fair. Twenty-two other local kids between the ages of 8 and 16 also won awards for their artwork. "To have your stuff recognized by other people is really nice," said Amanda Sapirstein, a 16year-old Oak Park resident and longtime For Art's Sake student. Three paintings submitted to the Ventura County Fair by Amanda- a seascape, an abstract and a landscape- were recognized with first place ribbons. A fourth piece won second place. Another student at the studio, Angela Rezai, earned the top award for the high school division. The 15-year-old won a prize for her portrait of an Asian woman with an umbrella. "This is quite an achievement as there are thousands of entries," said Celeste Frederickson. According to Peggy Kroener, the fair's youth building superintendent, there were more than 5,000 submissions from children throughout Ventura County. Local artists, teachers and residents served as judges and evaluated each piece individually rather than comparing it with other entries. Top winners were honored at an awards ceremony. The art competition has been part of the fair tradition for more than 130 years, Kroener said. "This event really showcases the youth of Ventura County," she said. Frederickson's students made her proud. They submitted works that displayed a variety of subjects and styles. Many of the winning paintings are on display in the studio. "We encourage them to expose themselves to things they may never have thought of doing so they learn new techniques and become wellrounded," Fredrickson said.. "It's a great opportunity for them to be able to compete and to display their work in such a large forum," she said. "It's very rewarding for the kids to show other people what they're capable of at such a young age." Besides Camryn, Amanda and Angela, many other For Art's Sake students brought home honors. Winners included: From Agoura Hills: Emily Bayer, 16; Mackenzie Gromek , 16; Nicole Betz, 16; Devon Freeman, 11; Sierra Chariter, 10; Sydney Speed, 9; Morgan McLaughlin, 9; Holden Chevalier, 9; and Madison Mc Laughlin, 8. From Thousand Oaks: Cole Schoenneman, 14; Madison Schoenneman, 10; Katia Kanner, 8; Avery Moloian, 8; and Jake Schoenneman, 8. From Newbury Park: Riley Wagner, 12; and Albert Li, 16 From Westlake Village: Jingtao Xia, 14; and Katelyn Lee, 8. From Oak Park: Hannah Mikell, 10. |
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