| | Published February 20th, 2019
| Young artists display work at Orinda Library
| | | By Kara Navolio |  | | Photos Kara Navolio Moraga art teachers Larysa Larson and Moose Wesler, and Moraga Superintendent Bruce Burns attended the Arts Ambassadors opening with Moraga students proudly showing their work. |
For many of the Moraga and Lafayette young artists, the first time they experienced showing their art in a gallery setting was during the first two weeks of February.
For the second year, the Lamorinda Arts Council hosted the Lafayette and Moraga Arts Ambassadors at the Orinda Library Art Gallery. Over 100 public school children, whose works were chosen for their excellent use of the art skills taught, had the opportunity to see their work displayed and shared with the community Feb. 3-13 at the gallery. As Rachel Levine, a fourth-grader at Los Perales Elementary School, stated of her pastel drawing inspired by the work of Georgia O'Keefe, "I worked really hard on it, and now it's worth it to see it here."
Jake Pineda, a third-grader from Camino Pablo, had two pieces chosen by art teacher Larysa Larson and was happy to share his work with his family and community members who attended the opening reception on Feb. 4. Larson chose the art from the three Moraga elementary schools on a blind basis, with no artist names revealed until after the works had been selected. Joaquin Moraga Intermediate School art teacher Moose Wesler chose the pieces to be shown from the middle school.
"It's an amazing opportunity to highlight student art work," stated Moraga School District Superintendent Bruce Burns. "This is a desirable space with a long waiting list, so to dedicate it to student art is phenomenal."
Robert Anke, Stanley Middle School art teacher, selected the works by Lafayette sixth- through eighth-graders, and parent volunteer Karen Moe of Lafayette Partners in Education hung about 50 pieces by artists from the middle school. Eighth-grader Julia Olegar said, "I like expressing myself with art. It's like a mirror of your personality." Her whimsical piece, a pastel drawing of a snowman lifting weights, showed her mastery of shading and blending and proper use of a light source.
Next on tap for the Lamorinda Arts Council is the annual High School Visual Arts Competition running Feb. 14 to March 14 in the same space at the Orinda Library. Organizer Denise Nomura explained that a panel of nine judges will award cash prizes totaling up to $2,400 to many high school students. |
 | | Lily Jones, Stanley Middle School eighth-grader, shows her piece using layered paper and pastels to show atmospheric perspective. |  | | Julia Olegar, a Stanley Middle School student, hopes to continue taking art in high school. |  | | Jake Pineda, a Camino Pablo third-grader, shows his work of sea life on an orange background. | | | | | | | |
Lamorinda Weekly, Moraga CA