By Nishaat Makandar

Students Skylar Sung, Naomi Nixon, Tanvi Kanaparthi, Laura McMennamin, Adam Tran, and Callie Shad’s were chosen to represent Mt.Hebron in the County-Wide “First Impressions” show at the Columbia Art Center. The “First Impressions” show took place at the Columbia Art Center from January 4th to 28th.

In partnership with the Howard County Public School System, “First Impressions” features artwork from K-12 students from all around the County. Printmaking, an art form consisting of printing images onto surfaces, is especially highlighted at the show. 

Tanvi Kanaparthi, one of the six students selected to display their art, says when she found out her artwork was selected for the show she couldn’t hide her excitement. “I would’ve just screamed right then,” Tanvi said. 

Having their artwork displayed at the show was a big honor. “Honestly, I hadn’t expected my print to be picked because I was always pointing out the imperfections and constantly felt like it could be better. Having my print in the exhibition definitely gave me the boost of confidence I needed to finally be satisfied with my work,” said Tanvi.

Tanvi used a technique called chine colle for her artwork. “Chine colle is a print-making technique where you layer colored and patterned paper on the overall piece to add color and details without having to make another print.” She chose her technique because she recalls liking the pictures of chine colle prints made by other artists, and as she said, “It really gave a pop of color to my work!”

Laura McMennamin, another student selected to display their art at the show, says that when she saw her artwork at “First Impressions” , “It looked much better than [she] had remembered.” Laura used a distinct ombré ink palate for her printmaking ,“because it helped represent all the colors of the beach picture that I was printing.”

These students through this show were able to showcase their artwork to people all across Howard County, an honor fitting the work they put into their art.