Senior Tien “Thomas” Huynh of Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, was recently honored by the Connecticut Art Education Association at the annual Connecticut Regional Scholastic Art Awards.
Thomas received a Gold key for his painting “Sweetness Kills.” He also received a portfolio scholarship in the amount of $20,000 per year to the Hartford Art School. The Scholastic Art Awards is the largest juried student art competition in the state. Student artwork is juried by professional artists and university art faculty and is selected on merit for inclusion in a statewide art exhibition held at the Hartford Art School. This year artwork was selected from approximately 3,000 entries, with 787 works accepted for exhibit at the University of Hartford. There were 256 Gold key awards (including 13 Gold portfolios), 262 Silver keys (including 23 Gold portfolios), and 247 Honorable Mention awards.
Thomas explained his artwork by saying “Fake words, plain compliments. Gradually, the “sweetness,” bursting out from mouths, dips the world in word-based toxicants. The “sweetness” poisons relationships and traps one’s mind in the incurable hallucination. Burying them in pride and the ambiguous, yet dominant, thoughts that they are perfect, so trying to improve is unnecessary. By utilizing darker shades of green and pink, my intention is to establish the feeling of danger and hazard that the object suffered from, caused by “sweetness.” The opposition in lighting brings the focus point to the candy wrappers which represent the “sweetness,” as if someone discovered the death of the pitiful victim who was poisoned in “sweetness.” The replication of the crime scene is a reminder for every one of us that ‘sweetness kills.’”
Thomas’ artwork, along with pieces from throughout the state, was on display at the regional gallery show at the Silpe Gallery on the University of Hartford campus.