Congratulations to Clayton Bolding for placing 4th in the THEA 2018 Art Scholarship Competition with his piece titled "Portal"! THe work will be on display at the Thea headquarters in Little Rock throughout April.
Clayton will be attending Savannah College of Art and Design this fall. The college will match the $2,500 scholarship. Check out Clayton's work below!
Artist statement: Darkness is often attributed with mystery. In this piece I chose to experiment with the mysticism of darkness, juxtaposing the qualities of black and white in comparison with heaven and earth, transforming what is quite clearly a telluric environment into what seems to be a portal. The visceral moment of a ladder to another world is obstructed only by what the light reveals around it, indicating the dual effects of light as a symbol of purity and it’s ability to highlight contamination. It’s due to this that the viewer rationalizes the true nature of the scene, not as anything otherworldly, but simply as an ordinary work room.
The Thea Scholarship program according to Thea: "Thea Foundation programs are designed to help kids find confidence, self-worth and perspective through creative expression, from experiences in many arts-related activities both extra-curricular and in-school. Our programs are uniquely inclusive, offered statewide and available to students in grades K through 12. Their longest running program, Thea Scholarship Program, has awarded close to $2 million to Arkansas high school seniors.”To learn more about how the program started https://www.theafoundation.org/thea-kay