Copper Hills High school senior Callie Reyes painted a picture of a girl holding her long braid of hair and a pair of scissors as she considered cutting it off.

“It’s said in a lot of different cultures that hair holds memories, so the painting is called ‘Cutting Ties’ so she was, like, literally cutting off memories or past things,”
Reyes said.

The picture reflected some of her feelings.

“Recently, there’s just been a big change in my life, and there’s just been a lot of adjusting and trying to let go of past things and just try and move forward,” Reyes said.

“Cutting Ties” won four awards at the 53rd Annual Utah All-State High School Art Show. Two of the prizes came with scholarships for art courses and another awarded a cash prize. The Utah State Board of Education actually purchased her piece, along with five others, to be displayed in their board room.

Reyes said winning the awards has given her confidence in her skills.

“It kind of makes me want to sell prints of my art, of my other paintings and things I’ve done, because it makes me think that maybe actually someone would buy it,” Reyes said. “I think I definitely see much more potential in myself, what I could do with my skills and be able to utilize that.”

 It was her first attempt at oil painting and she was proud of the recognition it received.

“It was a really big accomplishment, one of the biggest accomplishments that I’ve had in my life,” Reyes said.

The 53rd Annual Utah All-State High School Art Show, on display at the Springville Museum of Art through Mar. 21, features artwork by local high school artists, including:

Bingham High School: Isaac Mitchell, Tess Petersen, Alyssa Barrett and Erin Grimshaw (two pieces).
Erin Grimshaw won the Outstanding Student of the Year Award. Her piece “Young Siren” won a Jurors’ Choice Award, a Fourth Congressional District Award, the Artists Nosh Award and a Lyon Arts Studio Award.Her piece “Labeled” won a Jurors’ Award of Merit.

Copper Hills High School: Callie Reyes, Brandon Koller, Kennedy Fuell, Leo Holt, Savili Simanu, Zoe Hein, Michael Milner and Mars Lawson
Callie Reyes’s “Cutting Ties” won a Utah Senate Visual Art Honorable Mention, a Lyon Arts Studio Award, a Sentient Academy Scholarship and a USBE Purchase Award.
Brandon Koller’s “Multnomah Falls” won a Midway Art Association Materials Award.
Zoe Hein’s “Dialed In” won a USBE Purchase Award.

Herriman High School:  Abaigael  Langston, Amanda  Morales, Elijah Baker, Isabella Freeman, Nhi Trang, Saylor Sanders, Sofia Kim, Stella Smuin and Susanna Bruening
Isabella Freeman’s piece “I Believed in God in 2008” won the Pilar Pobil Legacy Award.

Mountain Ridge High School:  Braden Wilcox, Cambryn Vance, Elizabeth Barton, Kate Butterfield and Mckenzie Goodwin
Both Cambryn Vance’s “Reminiscing a Joyful Splash” and Braden Wilcox’s “Paper Patriot” won an Honorable Mention.

Riverton High School: Cash Swenson, Ella Nordfelt, Kaitlin Killian, Kaya Monson, Spencer Cameron, Lillian Dickes, Lydia Cannon, Miranda Johnson, Rachel Jessen and Olive Grgich Morse
Kaya Monson’s “Abuelo” won a Jurors’
Choice Award.
Lydia Cannon’s “Sliver of Light” earned a Fourth Congressional District Honorable Mention, third place in the Utah Senate Visual Art Awards and a Midway Art Association Materials Award.

West Jordan High School: Nicolas Allen, Porter Blair and Porter Melton λ