It’s not something many people think about as they wander around an art gallery, or more specifically, those cruising through the main gym at Fairfield Jr/Sr High School. For some, they spend a few seconds, maybe a minute or two, appreciating an art exhibit or gallery of works, then move onto the next exhibit or meander to the next point of reference.
What many people lose sight of in the works of art are the process and the journey to where the artists have to go to complete these works. Some take a day to make. Others weeks, months. In some cases, artists visit and revisit ideas and need a year or more to finish a painting or adaptation.
Lizabeth Freestone admits she isn’t bleeding thousands of hours into her artwork. Some come together pretty quickly, others take some time. As Friday’s Fairfield Art Festival is now a reality after months of seeing it on an agenda sheet, Freestone and her art classmates are now putting the finishing touches on their exhibits for Friday’s day-long festival. Freestone has a senior booth that she noted took a few days to conceptualize and create, but there’s years of metaphoric blood - and even a little of her own - etched into her creations.
“Ever since freshman year, I’ve been pouring into these art pieces,” Freestone said, standing among the display boards as the Fairfield Art Festival was being built around her Thursday morning. “My actual blood, I stabbed myself with a pen working on one of them. The blood, sweat and tears, that idea, there is a lot of that hanging in there.”
As Freestone chronicled her choices to be displayed for her personal booth at the festival, some works had stories behind them, some just came out well without a backdrop. One of her works wasn’t even a class project, just something she put together on emotion that just came together. It helped her through a moment, and she kept it. Others break down tough times in her life, a couple others developing stories that haven’t yet been resolved.
Freestone’s display is among several others who were chosen as Scholastic Art award winners, including a pair of Gold Key Portfolio winners in Katie Todd and Lee Rodman, and some veteran Key winners like Aislin Hunsberger and Lily Thieszen. They all have a story to tell, and that’s one aspect Freestone pointed out Thursday morning as the hustle to get to Friday’s Art Festival was on.
“There’s so many different view points we have in this show,” noted Freestone, who pointed out some of the details of the booths, then turning and pointing to a couple of the intro art walls. “We all go through things, and use art as an expression of that, maybe a release. Everything is showing who they are in these booths and displays. A way to say, ‘look at me’ as part of the art honors society.”
A very simple, yet introspective soul, Freestone was freewheeling about her art ventures, but was more complimentary of several of her peers and what they came up with for the festival. Not knowing what her path will completely look like a month from now after graduation, Freestone is living somewhat in the now. Having a chance to see four years worth of effort all grouped together did create a sense of pause, but also knowing that she can use that momentum for her next work of art, wherever that may be.
“I really feel like this is an exciting time for all of us,” Freestone said of the festival, which will have Fairfield’s elementary students visit the displays Friday morning and then the junior and senior high students in the afternoon. The general public gallery is open from 5-7:30 p.m. tomorrow night. “I haven’t completely figured out where I’ll be in a year from now as far as school or jobs go, but I can see where I’ve been with my art. And I’ve been to a lot of places with them, that’s for sure.”