Thin, dark lines outline the creases of bright, colorful wrappers of lollipops propped up in a glass. The paper that the lollipops are placed on is surrounded by shadows of glittering gold chocolate and glistening brown of doughnut glaze, creating a contrasting visual you cannot help but stare at.

Sweet Dreams, a watercolor piece by Coppell freshman Art II Honors student Ava Hong, is one of six pieces in Coppell ISD to be chosen for Youth Art Month, a program within the Texas Art Education Association that strives to celebrate young artists and the role art has within the education system.

Sweet Dreams was for Art II Honors students’ first assignment centered around contour, and Hong made it a point to make it unique with her own flair.

“My piece is about how things aren’t always as they seem,” Hong said. “I put the focal point in really bright colors so you would look at it [lollipops] first.” 

Hong’s goal is to emphasize the bright lollipops to catch the viewer’s attention but ultimately surprise the viewer as they explore the piece to see the intricate details of the objects that they had originally missed.

Hong’s process involved multiple steps from tracking down candy wrappers and chocolates, to baking doughnuts herself and photographing the arrangements to make the perfect composition that matched her vision.

“I really don’t like watercolor,” Hong said. “I had to use a small brush for the tiniest details and when it didn’t work out I had to go over it with a layer of white colors to correct the mistakes.”

Despite seeming recluse, Hong’s skill is evident through her use of watercolors and fine detail she achieves through thin brush strokes, meticulousness and dedication.  

CHS9 Hong’s Art II Honors teacher Elsa Reynolds picked her piece in addition to two others for submission. 

“I like to select students who continuously put in good effort,” Reynolds said. “Even though [Hong] is just sitting back there quietly with her piece, she has an eye for really observing and recording what she sees. That was the first piece she finished and I realized she’s really good at adding details.”

CHS9 Art II Honors student Mahathi Kumar is one of Hong’s close friends and witnesses the effort Hong puts into her work.

“Once, I walked over when she was still in the planning process,” Kumar said. “When she finished and showed me it  was honestly really good. She put a lot of time into it, she would take it home a lot and work on it.”

Hong’s attention to detail was not only recognized by her peers and Reynolds but by Youth Art Month as well, with Sweet Dreams advancing from the CISD level. Although her work did not win at the state level, it is still first at the district level and will be showcased  at a reception in March attended by CISD staff and students. 

Hong’s love for art branches outside of school as well, with it being a hobby she sharpens daily. She is grateful for the art curriculum she’s been a part of at Coppell. 

“I do more landscapes and complicated art now, instead of just sketches,” Hong said. “Compared to art from middle school, art from high school gives you more creative freedom,” Hong said.

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