Every April, the Plymouth Arts Council puts on Primavera. The celebration of art takes place at the Plymouth Creek Center and includes paintings, photographs, sketches, sculptures and more. The showcase is unique, because it includes local high school participants, giving young artists a chance to showcase their work.
We spoke with three young people who have taken part in Primavera to learn more about their artistic endeavors.
May Ling Kopecky
Last year, May Ling Kopecky won the Primavera award, named after the art show itself and given to a Plymouth resident, for her painting, “View from New Jersey.” It was the Normandale Community College student’s first year entering the show, which she plans to do again this spring.
Which art medium do you work with?
I am a multimedia artist, so I work with pretty much whatever I feel like working with. I mainly use acrylics, graphite, ink and photography, but I’ve also been working with oils and watercolors more often recently—it really depends on the subject. I also like to do cartoons for my coworkers when I am at work (I’ve been doing this regularly for more than a year now), and I draw those with ballpoint pens and restaurant crayons.
How did you become interested in art?
I have been interested in art since I could hold a crayon. My parents were always really supportive of all my interests, so they provided me with a lot of supplies and sent me to my first art class at the age of 5.
Describe how you first started?
I’ve been drawing and painting for longer than I can remember. I started scribbling and experimenting with crayons before I was even a year old, and I began to create pictures with recognizable subjects at the age of 2. My parents still have many of those pieces.
What or who are the inspirations for your work?
My work is often inspired by places I have traveled to. If I’m painting or drawing something from a photo, I’ll only use photos that I’ve taken. I’ve traveled to many places, but recently I’ve been more interested in the cities and urban areas that I’ve seen.
What is your goal for your art?
I mostly like to do commissioned work, but I don’t think I will be an artist as my main profession. I’m still in school right now, and I’m not quite sure what I want to do. However, I am always going to be creating and selling my work.
What do you love about art?
I think what I love most about art is the fact that it can really speak. It’s possible to convey so many thoughts and emotions in one piece of work—often ones that are hard to describe otherwise. There’s so much freedom that comes with a blank canvas or piece of paper, and I always find that to be really exciting.
A.J. Adducci
Currently enrolled as a medical student at Pepperdine University, A.J. Adducci attended Providence Academy and took part in Primavera in 2013, 2014 and 2015. He won the Primavera award of excellence in 2013 and 2015.
Which art medium do you work with?
I’ve worked with a lot of different art mediums. One of my favorite parts of the art program at Providence Academy was that we had the opportunity to learn and work with many different kinds of mediums. I entered Primavera three times: once with a relief print, once with a smaller oil painting and once with a larger acrylic painting. One of my favorite mediums is paint on canvas.
How did you become interested in art?
I have loved art class from a young age. My dad is a graphic designer, so I think that I get my love of art from him. I took a freshman art course at Providence and loved it so much that I stuck with art all four years of high school. It was always one of my favorite classes.
How old were you when you first started?
I remember doing art projects as young as preschool, but I got into art seriously when I entered high school.
What or who are the inspirations for your work?
Inspirations for my artwork have been my art teacher, Mr. Santer, who has helped me become a much better artist; my father, who always encouraged me to pursue my passion for art; and many other famous artists throughout history, whom I look to when creating my individual works.
What is your goal for your art?
Art has always had a special place in my heart, and I will definitely continue to pursue it throughout my life, although it is more of a hobby for me.
What do you love about art?
I love having the ability to create whatever I want on a canvas. I love trying to tell a story with my art and really making a picture “worth a thousand words.” I also love how art allows me to relax and express my creative side.
(Photo courtesy of Brian Adducci)
Meagan Healy
Now a senior at Providence Academy, Meagan Healy won an award of excellence last year for her photograph, “Lucy.” Last year was her first year in Primavera, and she plans on taking part again this year.
Which art medium do you work with?
Photography.
How did you become interested in art?
My interest bloomed when I decided to take a photography class with my friend the fall of my junior year [2014]. I took the class because I thought it would be fun, but once I learned how to properly use a camera, I became interested in the capability of photography to capture the beauty I see in the world.
What or who are the inspirations for your work?
Photographer Rick Guidotti is my inspiration. When Guidotti saw how photographs of kids with disabilities lacked humanity, he was deeply saddened. This experience prompted him to leave the fashion industry in order to capture the inherent beauty of handicapped children through photography. Guidotti recognizes the beauty of every human life and teaches us that a handicapped child is still a child—a child that is not only filled with love, but a child that can teach us how to love, which is the most important lesson anyone can ever learn.
What is your goal for your art?
Although I do not plan on pursuing a professional degree in photography, it will always be a part of my life, whether that’s filling the walls of my future dorm rooms with pictures of loved ones and places I have visited, or taking scenic pictures on hikes, or photobombing my friends’ selfies.
What do you love about art?
I love photography’s ability to capture the love and beauty experienced in a moment.
(Photo courtesy of Meagan Healy)
This year’s show takes place April 15 through 17 at Plymouth Creek Center, 14800 34th Ave.
