Couldn’t Care Less #2

Taylor Wilcox
Medium: Mixed media
Grade: 10
Foothill Technology High School

Taylor Wilcox is a mixed media artist who recently started working with acrylic paints again. At a young age local artist Eco Shumaker took Taylor under her wing and even collaborated with her on multiple acrylic pieces in the Ventura Art Walk in 2014. Ever since then she has loved painting and the use of color and shading to create the illusion of life. Taylor admires Jean-Micheal Basquiat's expressive art, Kurt Cobain's lyricism, Takashi Murakami's imagination, and Mary Blair's flair, among many other artists. The inspirations for her paintings mainly come from the music she listens to and the feelings it instills. For example, the background of her pieces here today include lyrics by Pink Floyd, Nirvana, Leadbelly, and Hole. To Taylor, the best part of painting is how she can express her personality creatively and non-verbally through art.

In a Fairytale

Juan Carrillo
Medium: Photography
Grade: 12
Ventura High School
Juan Carrillo is a senior at Ventura High School and has been interested in taking photographs since he was in sixth grade. Photography and editing have always been fascinating to him as a creative outlet to express his feelings and thoughts. He grew up in Ventura, living with a single mother and his uncle who was like a father to him before he became a drug addict like his father. Growing up Juan did witness many things that aren't good for any child. There were times he struggled because there were too many things going on in his head. He was never the type of person to go and ask for help; most of the time he kept quiet until he discovered photography. In sixth grade he was inspired by Michael Steric, a photographer for Faze Clan, the most popular esports organization in the world, whose colorful urban photography brought him more than 150,000 followers on social media. Steric once explained why he does photography: it is an escape for him, a time for him to explore nature alone and meditate. Steric’s work caught Juan’s attention and inspired him to give it a try. Juan has been featured many times on VisitVentura, which is the city's social media, and interacted with local photographers and designers. Recently he has been working with his close friend Cesar Acevedo, the one on this year's poster, helping him with his clothing brand OBTAIN. Here they have created a surreal image with a blue tone and pink sky that represents both of their styles.

Trains

Jaelen Hsu
Medium: Ink and Marker
Grade: 12
Ventura High School

As a student with an interest in the arts and sciences I often find myself caught between the world of art and that of engineering. I enjoy blurring the line that divides the two by creating pieces which combine the precision and power of engineered mechanisms with the emotion and color of works of art.

Let's Go Far Away

Gio
Medium: Watercolor, Ink and Acrylic
Grade 12
Buena High School

Gio is a senior at Buena High School. She is a multimedia artist and painter that wants to communicate support, togetherness and understanding through her work. Having risen from an adverse youth with limited security, an encounter with sexual assault, feelings of emotional instability, and numerous rebellious mistakes, she feels it is her responsibility to be a voice for those who share her experience. She says, “I want to take my trauma and turn it into works of art that will bring light to the problem. It's like taking the power from the wrong and using it to do right.” Her intention is to spark a dialog that will transform our understanding of things. In her work, “Let’s Go Far Away”, she depicts her free spirit through vibrant colors, and wild seemingly unrelated imagery, informing the viewer that despite all odds we are capable and deserving of peace, freedom and change.

Looking Glass

Annika Arroyo
Medium: Photography
Grade 12
Foothill Technology High School

My name is Annika Arroyo and I am a senior at Foothill Tech. I am a member of my school’s Bioscience Academy and HOSA Leadership. I have also been on the varsity swimming and water polo teams since freshman year. Art has always been an outlet for me and is something I truly enjoy. While most of the time you will find me drawing or painting, photography is a relatively new passion of mine and I hope to show my creative side in all my work including photography.