As she walked the halls of the regional VASE art competition with months of dedication held in each hand, senior Elisa Arbaiza prepared for her creations to be judged by advanced artists. Her work claimed two spots of the 40,000 entries submitted this year. By the end of the day, Arbaiza could celebrate qualifying for state – for both of her art pieces.
Accomplishing the rare possibility of advancing to the state VASE competition, Arbaiza beat the odds twice in one competition. Her piece “Making a Face” got a perfect score of four as well as her second piece, “Golden Frames.” Both of Arbaiza’s art pieces qualified for the state competition, which will be held Saturday, April 29.
“I was shocked,” Arbaiza said. “It’s rare someone gets qualified for two entries. It was such a great opportunity, and I was emotional that they liked my two pieces out of hundreds of entries.”
Arbaiza has entered contests via her basic-to-advanced art classes throughout her high school career.
“She’s literally won every state and national award and title possible,” instructor Janette Church said. “She went all the way, year after year.”
Each year, VASE has about 40,000 entries with less than 10% qualifying for state. Out of that 10%, only 250 will receive the top award, a Gold Seal. A perfect score adds up to a total of 60 points. An overall average score ranges from one to four, four being a perfect score.
“Elisa has always been exceptionally talented,” art teacher Judy Seay said. “As she has matured both mentally and artistically, she has begun to experiment and to take chances that a less-experienced artist will not take.”
From drawing as a child with her sister to winning state-wide competitions in high school, Arbaiza has always had a love for art. Dabbling in a handful of art forms, she mainly focuses on realistic acrylic, which is featured in all her winning pieces.
“I mainly got into art at a very young age when my sister and I would draw for fun. I enjoyed making art early on. It has been a part of my life since then,” Arbaiza said. “I started making drawings with colored pencils, but I later got invested in painting with acrylic.”
Not only have other artists recognized her work, but Arbaiza also has received accolades from instructors. Both Janette Church, her art instructor, and Judy Seay, who had Arbaiza in class freshman through junior year, expressed how proud they are of Arbaiza’s success.
“Elisa’s artwork is of the highest caliber,” Seay said. “She is one of the best artists that I have ever had the opportunity to teach. She is truly one the best artists in the entire state. I am so proud of Elisa. She is one of those students that I will always remember.”
According to Arbaiza, Seay inspired her from the beginning of her freshman year. While helping Arbaiza – and her work – get more exposure, Seay made certain the pieces had the opportunity to be showcased in multiple exhibitions, including the Bullock Museum in Austin.
“I looked up to Mrs. Seay, my junior year teacher, who retired this year. She taught me different acrylic paint techniques and shared her experiences through her art,” Arbaiza said. “I’ve always looked up to her, and she always believed in me.”
Andy Warhol provided inspiration for Arbaiza’s sock-puppet piece. A structure he used often included creating four or more components, while keeping similarities to tie them together. In Arbaiza’s piece, she kept the realistic painting style with a wood color staying the same throughout, and the subjects stay identical.
“With this piece, I wanted to take a shot at illustrating growing up and learning to appeal to others. Growing up, I was told to act a certain way and what was right and wrong in school and at home,” Arbaiza said. “Over time, I got more and more experience with the types of expectations and appealing to other people’s wants. Using sock puppets clarifies my experiences since sock puppets are impersonations of characters.”
Arbaiza plans to continue her art career throughout her life. Although she does not plan on attending college for art, she intends to minor in drawing and painting at the University of North Texas, on top of majoring in business.
“In the future, I hope to use my business major to either create my own art business company or have a position in a business that cares about people’s creativity and aspirations,” Arbaiza said. “Art, in general, can help someone get through hardships and is a way of expressing yourself.”
