Corey Mullen earned a prestigious national honor by being voted Artsonia’s Artist of the Week for students in grades 10 through 12. The Rhinebeck High School sophomore plans to buy a sketchbook with the $50 gift certificate he received from Blick Art Materials.
“At first, I thought it was cool and I was appreciative,” he said. “Everybody was congratulating me and saying positive things. I took it a bit more serious then because if other people are saying something, it clearly matters.
“I’m just appreciative of the whole thing. It’s really cool to experience.”
Artsonia gives students in kindergarten through 12th grade the opportunity to create a digital portfolio by uploading photos of their artwork. Students will write something short to describe the pieces. The portfolio allows a student the chance to see how they have progressed as an artist over the years.
Art teacher Kathy Giles said art students in Rhinebeck submit their artwork to Artsonia, which is used by over 50,0000 schools, primarily in the United States.
“To have his piece of artwork chosen out of so many pieces of artwork is a huge honor,” said Giles.
Mullen started with a piece of Masonite that was covered with white clay, which was coated with black ink. He sketched a picture of a raccoon.
His piece was one of 12 finalists in his age category. Voting was open to the general public for four days with one vote permitted per computer, per day through Jan. 31.
Cullen received 568 votes, winning by 52 votes.
“I found the concept cool,” said Mullen. “It was different. I got to choose what to draw. It gives a lot freedom in what you choose to do.”
Mullen added, “You can’t go back and erase. That is the most difficult aspect about it. You have to make sure you put the line where you want to put it because you can’t get rid of it.”
Mullen impressed his teacher with the final product.
“The whole entire project was all about finding textures in different animal furs,” said Giles. “He really nailed all of the different textures within his raccoon. He created a lot of depth and dimension within his piece.
“What I love most about the piece is the eyes. You look right into the eyes and there is so much life within them.”
Mullen shared his final thoughts on the project.
“I was having fun with it,” he said. “I wasn’t worried about how hard or how easy it was. It was fun for me. I enjoyed doing it. It was one of my favorite projects we’ve done so far.”