Sarah Whitt: Dedicated New Artist

The walls of the Worthington Christian High School library are currently decorated with sophomore Sarah Whitt’s witty paintings of her pug.

So far, Sarah has 11 pieces in her concentration upon Pugsley, her dog. Sarah’s brother, Alex, said that she has spent a great deal of time on this collection, working with “whole-hearted dedication,” and for anyone who has seen her art, the results of her effort are clear.

All of the pieces in this compilation are on poster board, and were painted using acrylic and tempera paints, making the art very bold and colorful. Sarah has been working on the compilation since September at the beginning of the school year.

Pugsley, the subject of Sarah’s collection, is already a legend to the students of Worthington Christian. Sarah’s friend, Liz Akin, said “Pugsley is a lovable dog that everyone adores”—which contributes to the art’s popularity with the students.

Sarah Whitt is one of the youngest students ever to be in AP art, and is excited to have her art on display for the whole school to see. “I think it’s really cool that they wanted to put my art on display,” Sarah commented.

Mrs. Heisey’s Advanced Placement Art course is quite different from a normal art class. In addition to continuing to learning about artistic concepts, the students also work on building a portfolio. However, only the exceptionally well made concentrations, like Sarah’s, are put on display for the entire school to see.

“Sarah’s inspiration for her art concentration came from the famous contemporary artist Elizabeth Peyton.” Mrs. Heisey said “Elizabeth’s Peyton’s style of capturing the fashion and style of celebrities inspired Sarah to do the same thing with Pugsley.”

Peyton’s technique, which is based on stylizing and idealizing celebrities, was formative in inspiring Sarah to make a celebrity of her dog, Pugsly. Sarah, however, took Peyton’s sometimes sardonic style to the next level by presenting her pug as a fashionable celebrity. “Pugsley was already a celebrity;” Alex clarified: “Sarah is just spreading his glory to everyone else.”

The eight-piece collection currently on display in the library reveals Pugsley doing everything from eating yogurt to standing in a majestic pose. Sarah’s depictions make this “awkward and chunky” dog appear quite the star.

The student body of Worthington Christian is proud to have Sarah Whitt’s art work on display. After seeing the Sarah’s extraordinary collection about Pugsley, we all look forward to her next endeavors.