High Life / A WEEKLY FORUM FOR HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS : Amateurs Are Young at Art : Expression: Junior Gallery is a showcase for talented students from throughout the county.

Adding a touch of color to the inside of one’s school locker is considered artistic flare in most teen circles. But what happens when simple artistic expression turns into a respected talent . . . or a career?

The Festival of Arts of Laguna Beach, now in its 60th year, has been the site since 1947 of the Junior Art Gallery, a showcase for talented students from throughout Orange County.

Art teachers from both public and private schools submitted more than 1,000 pieces of artwork from various grade levels in March. A jury panel composed of adults who represent the Festival of Arts then selected the top 100 entries, which traveled throughout the county as a part of the Imagination Celebration.

“They’re excellent, of course,” said selection committee chairwoman Jean Freeman, associate professor of art at Saddleback College, referring to the young artists’ works.

Most of the students are keenly aware of the prestige that accompanies exhibition in the Junior Art Gallery. “I was happy and excited,” said Julie Kuo, 15, a junior at Bolsa Grande High School. “I didn’t believe that I had gotten in.”

“It’s really kind of weird,” said Santiago High senior Autumn Teeter, 16, on having her work on display. “I hope that it’ll give me the courage to enter more exhibits and better myself artistically.”

El Modena art teacher Donna Banning said, “We make sure that they get recognition.” Banning has been promoting the gallery since its inception.

“They (Festival of Arts) display the work professionally. The students then see that their work is comparable to (that of) professionals. The students vie for that; it does tremendous things for the ego.”

Said Victor Huelskamp, 16, a senior at Santiago High: “I’ve learned a lot in the year and a half since I’ve done that piece.” The piece to which he referred is an environmentally themed charcoal print that is currently on display.

As a freshman, Huelskamp had a linoleum print on exhibit at the gallery. “I just kept getting better and better,” he said.

Ai Ha Truang, 17, also of Santiago, had to teach herself more than her art. Her family came to California from Vietnam two years ago, and she’s struggling with the language as well as with the change in artistic styles.

“I learned to paint with oils on silk in Vietnam,” she said. “But here they use canvas. It’s a different technique.”

Though Truang is excited about her first display, she is frustrated with having to adapt to canvas. “I have several paintings at home that are better,” she said.

Inspiration for pieces often stems from frustrations such as the ones faced by Truang. Sometimes, however, a stranger can spark a masterpiece. Chandra Bergmann, a June graduate of El Toro High School, created her scratchboard piece, “Jack,” after seeing a picture of Jack O’Neill, the inventor of the modern wet suit.

San Clemente sophomore Joe Jorgensen, 14, was inspired to create his abstract, water-based marker-pen piece, “Bob’s Bait,” by artist Rick Griffin, who used to design psychedelic posters. Jorgensen’s father also played a role in his entry. “My dad is a really good artist and we draw a lot together,” he said.

Mina Lee, 16, a junior at El Toro High, created “Mother’s Day” as a gift to its inspiration. The watercolor painting was created because “My mom likes flowers and Mother’s Day was coming up (when I created it). So, I dedicated it to my mom as a present to her,” Lee said.

Banning said the quality of the student works has increased over the years. “Students are more worldly now,” she said. “They are more thoughtful and expressive. They’re not afraid to be individuals. They’re more mature and they have more exposure to the world compared to a generation of 10 to 15 years ago.

“They connect their artwork to literature they’ve read in and out of school. They travel more and that can’t help but influence their work.”

Bergmann agrees. “There’s an increase in knowledge in the younger generation. They’re our hopes for the future.”

Several students are already planning their futures in the field of art. Laura Bass, a graduate of Santiago, will major in art at USC in the fall. “If I’m going to make it a career,” she said, “I have to be good; it’s a requirement to be the best of the best. In high school, I learned different techniques. Now, I can learn to apply them.”

Bass has on display a charcoal piece titled “Raymundo,” which is a portrait of one of her classmates.

Said Bergmann: “I’ve always been more creative than academic, and although I can’t see myself doing anything else, it’s very hard to make a living as an artist.”

Which is why most of the young artists are hoping the exposure at the summer-long festival will lead to something big. According to Freeman, that’s possible. “Some get connections, either for sales or sometimes authors of children’s stories see the work, like the work, and contact that artist for illustrations.”

But all Anabelle Lee, 16, wants is some reaction.

“I would like for a professional to comment and give an opinion on it,” the El Toro junior said of her art piece, a colored scratchboard rendition of a raccoon. “But I’m not sure that I’d want to sell it, because I like it too much and I love nature.”