Prima Gallery

Houston based artist Kevin Peterson has created a series of visually stunning painting called ‘Graffiti Girls’.

The oil paintings combine landscapes focused on street art with young girls in the foreground, rendered in astonishing photo-realistic detail. Peterson’s combination of themes in Graffiti Girls is both aesthetically seamless and brilliantly executed.

Polymer clay or famous as'Play-Dough' clay are colorful, sculptable art medium made from polymer polyvinyl chloride. It routinely contains no clay minerals and is only known as'clay' because its texture and feasibility look like those of mineral clay. Artists, hobbyists and children all find polymer clay agood material to make art. Few instruments are required for working with polymer clay and are usually found round the house. For the sake of this article though, we focus at the use of the polymer clay pasta machine.

A polymer clay pasta machine like any pasta machine is generally used for pasta making. However, many saw the usefulness of the pasta machine in the field of humanities especially when it comes to clay modeling explaining why it too is employed generally by many . It can be used for conditioning clay, for mixing several clay colours, for producing sheets with unvarying thickness and even making patterned clay sheets. With this machine, techniques like marbling and slab working can be easily done. Since chrome steel is extremely durable and polymer clay will not simply stick to the surface, many pasta machines are made using this material. Like the Amaco Pasta Machine, there are many stainless steel pasta machines specifically intended for use with polymer clay that are being sold. It has seven thickness settings, a removable crank and a clamp to hold it onto the work surface. To permit both hands to turn the crank, some even come with feeder trays. To wash, use a dry material or brush to wipe off any extra oil that was left by the polymer clay. To help the roller turn smoothly, put a small amount of oil to the gears and joints. The employment of water should be avoided to prevent the machine and its parts from rusting.

Polymer clay pasta machine like any pasta machine is a delicate tool. Given maximum concern and attention it can last a lifetime.

The opening reception and awards ­ceremony for the Arts Council of Moore County’s 14th annual Young People’s Fine Arts Festival attracted a crowd of 500 young artists, art teachers and kinfolk to Campbell House on Friday, March 5.

First place awards went to Brooke Olinger, Episcopal Day; Halden Levin, Pinehurst Elementary; Victoria Landers, Sandhills Classical Christian; Wyatt Parson, Sandhills Classical Christian; Austin Cook, Vass-Lakeview; Berenice Lopez, Elise Middle; Miss Wolfe’s Second Grade Class, S.T.A.R.S Charter; Katie Lamb, West Pine; Grace Ann Longfellow, West Pines; Clem McKenzie, Pinecrest High; Amber Robinson, Pinecrest High; Caroline Hudson, Pinecrest High; Miranda Estep, Union Pines High; Jose Lavelle, Union Pines High; and Claire Lenahan, Union Pines High.

Winning second place awards were Chase Watson, Carthage Elementary; Ali Royal, Sandhills Classical Christian; Samantha Clark, Sandhills Farmlife; Bridget White, Sandhills Farmlife; Karina Franco, Vass-Lakeview; Justin Hall, New Century Middle; Austin D’Atri, S.T.A.R.S Charter; Claire Shadomy, Union Pines; Mason Williams, North Moore High; Sarah Wilson, Pinecrest High; Bernadine Dembosky, The O’Neal School; Lindsay Waters, The O’Neal School; and Bennett Westling, The O’Neal School.

Receiving third place awards were Nita Reynolds, Cameron Elementary; T. Dalton McBryde, Pinehurst Elementary; Eliza Athans, Sandhills Classical Christian; L’Asia Jackson, West End Elementary; Emma Williams, Elise Middle; Kestra Alzner, New Century Middle; Eli Cole, West Pine Middle; Stephanie McNeil, North Moore High; Megan Fruchte, Pinecrest High; Laura Ott, Pinecrest High; Heather Sinsley, Pinecrest High; Crystal Little, Union Pines High; and Sasha Richman, The O’Neal School.

Honorable mentions were given to Caleb W. Hickey, Blue Farm Academy Homeschool; Jackson Jernigan, Cameron Elementary; Khalita Person, Carthage Elementary; Bryson Steed, Vass-Lakeview Elementary; Maudie Chalfinch, New Century Middle; Mrs. Varner’s Second Grade Class, S.T.A.R.S Charter; Amber Robinson, Pinecrest High; Claire Lenahan, Union Pines High; Hannah Burns, The O’Neal School; Katie Dyer, The O’Neal School; Jodie Ballie, Camryn Baldwin, Danielle Howland and Victoria Strunk, The O’Neal School.

The “People’s Choice” award was given to Rachel Denneny, a fourth-grade student at Vass-Lakeview Elementary, for her 3-D sculpture, “Splatterbug.”

“The Arts Council would like to thank the ­festival’s major sponsor, George W. Little and Associates Inc., and Whistle Stop Press Inc. for providing the printing,” says Chris Dunn, ­executive director.