Gorham High School (GHS) senior Autumn Heil has been a lover of art for many years. Her passion and talent has recently led to her receiving three Scholastic Art and Writing awards, which was part of a state and nationwide competition, and she won second place as part of another art contest, the Arts and Craftsmen Show.
“I’ve been doing art since I was very little,” said Heil. “I was always encouraged to explore art, whether drawings, paintings, or sculptures. My first art started out with animals, little stick figure cats and dinosaurs, and after years of practice and persistence I have developed my skills to what I create today.”
A lot of Heil’s art is based around nature and human interaction and awareness of nature.
“Since a young age, I have always been interested in the environment and have a deep passion for animals,” said Heil. “Everything from cicadas, to ravens, to maple trees allow such unique ways of exploring life, and I love being part of that.”
Photo credit Angela DiPhilippoGHS senior Autumn Heil recently won an Honorable mention for “We All Sink Together” (top) and a Gold Award for her artwork “Three Ancient Totems” (bottom).
Heil submitted multiple pieces to the Scholastic Art and Writing Awards, three of which received awards and nominations. “Three Ancient Totems,” a sculpture of totems wrapped with natural items and twine, won a Gold Award and is an American Visionary Nominee.
Her portfolio was a second submission, titled “In This Life,” containing seven different pieces created through many media and skills.
“It represents the different ways animals, people, and plants connect and affect their surroundings as they move through life and eventually pass away,” said Heil. The portfolio also received a Gold Award.
Her third piece to win an award was a mixed media piece titled “We All Sink Together.” The media included acrylics, watercolor, ink, and collage.
“This work shows the struggle that all organisms are facing in the Arctic due to global warming,” said Heil. “The main image depicts a swimming polar bear, and it is clear that it is struggling to stay afloat, both physically and metaphorically.”
This is one of Heil’s favorite pieces and won a Silver Award for the Scholastic Awards. It also won Honorable mention for the Congressional Art Awards and will be displayed at the State House for a year beginning in August.
Heil has submitted art to these competitions in the past, and her results have improved every year. During her freshman year, she submitted poetry to the writing portion of the Scholastic Awards, and won Gold, Silver, and Honorable mentions. Last year, she won an Honorable mention for an art piece. She also submitted work to the Arts and Craftsmen competition last year and won first place.
“Art offers such an open outlet to explore and pass insight to others about your passions,” Heil stated. “Art is anything you want it to be and thus my life echoes this. I have the confidence to wear what I want, to love what I want, and to freely share my passions. I encourage others to look at life this way.”
Outside of visual art, Heil has always had an interest in nature, music, and pop culture. She is a current member of the GHS Chamber Singers, and plays steel drums, upright bass, and ukulele. After high school, she will be continuing fine arts and environmental science, the two fields she is most passionate about.