Three students received recognition for their works of art at the ACSI Art Festival on May 5. Among others, sophomore Mary Sargent, inspired by Monet, used pointillism for her collage and won Best of Show as well as Best of Class (sophomore).

?I was inspired by Monet?s lone statuesque female figures because of the feminism it conveyed,? Sargent said. ?I love art and unfortunately I can?t do it next year, but any chance I get I will definitely take.

Sargent believes her awards made the months spent on the project worth her time.

?The four months spent on it was worth doing in the end,? Sargent said. ?I was surprised when I won because there were many great pieces in the show and I didn?t expect them to choose mine.?

Art teacher Sharon Scharf compliments Sargent’s work both inside and outside the classroom.

?Mary?s patience and diligence sets her apart from the rest of my students,? Scharf said. ?Her project was well done because it took a lot of thought and decision making.?

A total of 31 students on campus displayed their art at Merced Christian School. Freshman Eric Johnson and senior Ryan Taylor also were recognized as each received best of class awards.

?It was rather overwhelming,? Taylor said. ?I made a scratchboard, which was based by from a woodcarving by an unknown artist. When I came across a picture of the carving online it seemed almost impossible to do on a scratchboard. What I liked most about my project was that it was very detailed.?

This is Taylor’s second year in art and believes the experience helped him win an award, as well as challenge his abilities.

“I frequently consulted her (Scharf) on techniques and suggestions to improve my work,” Taylor said. “Her knowledge and expertise in so many forms of art has allowed me to become a better artist.”

Taylor’s scratchboard portrayed a missionary discovering the place where Heaven and Earth meet. He started the project consumed the majority of first semester.

“The final result was rewarding,” Taylor said, “but the ultimate reward came from winning the best in class at the art festival and seeing the fruits of my labor; I owe my ability and passion for art to Mrs. Scharf.”

Scharf has taught on campus for the past 18 years, spending 16 of those years attending the annual festival. She hopes her students learned from the event and plans to continue to take part in the competition.

?We have been participating in the ACSI Art Festival for 16 years,? Scharf said. ?It gives students an opportunity to see how their work fairs against other Christian schools.”

“All of the students received recognition for their art work–especially the three who received top honors,” Scharf said. “It’s an honor just to have artwork chosen for the festival. My goal is that students will have an attitude to do better next time and that they will be inspired to do greater things.?