OVS senior Ana Sofia Samano Suarez and freshman Yier Zhang have both been named winners of this year’s Lunar New Year Greeting Card contest.
The two student-artists took different, yet equally stunning approaches to depicting this year’s Lunar New Year theme, the Year of the Fire Horse.
For the first time in the 14 years that OVS has held the friendly contest, judges could not agree on a single winner, so they selected two instead.
“The Lunar New Year greeting card contest was started as a way of connecting with our international families,” said Tracy Wilson, the school’s director of admissions and advancement. “We really liked the way both Samano and Yier conveyed the strength and spirit of the horse. In the end, we decided to recognize both artists.”
Samano’s artwork depicted a horse with an untamed mane and fierce eyes, Ms. Wilson said, a perfect representation for the year of the Fire Horse.
“I really wanted people to see it, that’s why I went for simplistic,” Samano said. “In previous years, those are the ones that have been shown.”
Yier’s artwork had a more traditional interpretation that embraced colors and also featured a strong horse, which illustrated perfectly what OVS imagined as the Year of the Fire Horse.
“After going to equestrian, the horses inspired me,” Yier said. “Drawing is cool to me because you just think about it and draw it.”
Samano chose to express an art style that can be portrayed in two very different ways. Nevertheless, the two separate techniques complemented each other perfectly to create a laid back but powerful horse.
“I am hoping for a peaceful year,” Samano said. “That’s why my art is a little more of a spiritual force than anything, it can be served as both energetic and peaceful.”
Yier thinks of the Year of The Fire Horse as peaceful, so she decided to include that vibe in her art by using colors that are traditional yet symbolize tranquility. She hopes for a calm year since her transition to high school is already so tense.
“Even though I used red as the main color, I drew the horse in black and I think it represents peace,” Yier said. “I drew pretty Chinese style horses that also work for peace.”
The Lunar New Year Greeting Card tradition is a lovely opportunity to include and share different communities from all around, Ms. Wilson said, and also a great way for aspiring students to display their artwork as an opportunity to get comfortable with the community.
In past years, Upper Campus art teacher Chia Hersk has challenged her students to depict Fire Monkeys, Earth Dogs, Metal Oxen, and Water Tigers in keeping with the various Lunar New Year themes.
Ms. Hersk sends the original artwork from her classes to the admissions office at the end of the first semester. When deciding, admissions does not know the identity of the winners until the winning artwork has been selected.
The winning students’ artwork will be sent digitally as Lunar New Year cards in mid-February to families, alumni, and previous parents of OVS.
This year being the Year of The Horse is particularly special at OVS as the equestrian program has played such a vital role over the years in the life of the school.
“We have had an outstanding equestrian program for decades, and we appreciate and recognize our school horses as very special teachers,” Ms. Wilson said. “They educate students to act with patience, compassion, humility and courage — all of which are qualities we want to see in our students.”