Sandhya Karthick

Freshman Sandhya Karthick has been an artist for as long as she can remember. Taking art all throughout middle school, Karthick is determined to continue art through the rest of her high school years. Outside of her artistic endeavors in school, Karthick publishes her own WebToon comics under the series “Something Funny.”

How long have you been an artist?

I’ve been making art for as long as I can remember. I’ve taken art all throughout middle school and this year as well. I’m definitely going to continue art for all four years of high school, and I’m planning to compete in the Visual Arts Scholastic Event (VASE) every single year. Art is a way for me to express myself and to get my emotions out.

How was Junior VASE different from VASE?

When I was in eighth grade, the year right after the pandemic, Junior VASE didn’t have in-person interviews. All we had to do was write about our piece and send in a submission. There also was no advancing to state like there is this year. VASE has been a better experience for me. I really felt like there was more of a personal connection with the judge because we were able to convey our message more than just through writing. I also liked that there was more than one level of competition, more interactivity, so we could distinguish ourselves better.

What mediums, colors, themes or symbols did you incorporate into your artwork?

I used charcoal, graphite and chalk pencils and pastels. A major theme I had was rock, paper, scissors and I immediately thought of the days I used to play with my friends to decide different things. I thought about how it really shows human nature and how self-destructive it is even though we don’t really think about it.

Why did you choose this piece to enter into VASE?

I thought this piece would be a really good contender because there was meaning behind it. I really liked the composition, and I pulled off the realism aspect pretty well. Realism was something I was kind of new to because this was the first time I used charcoal.

What was challenging about creating your piece?

VASE doesn’t allow artists to use reference photos they haven’t taken themselves, so I had to use my imagination to visualize how a liquid would drip across the arm in my artwork. I mixed water with other viscous substances to replicate how blood would flow downwards.

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