Thea Kay Leopoulos – Art

 

 

The art exhibited below was accomplished by Thea during her junior year of high school in Ms. Suzette Patterson’s Studio Art Class.  These art projects were critical in Thea’s development that year.  The process of working on these projects were fun, but at the same time a challenge and required Thea to work hard, not give up, use her imagination and finish the job, much like the requirements on athletes preparing for a game.  It’s the preparation and practice for the game or to complete a piece of art that builds character that lasts a lifetime.

Each of the pieces show below were Thea’s first attempt at the particular medium.

 

Mom’s Horse

The next time you watch Yo-Yo Ma play his cello, notice what is carved on the top of his cello – the horse.  Thea knew that one of her mother’s favorite animals was horses.  In fact Linda has a very old ceramic horse that belonged to her grandfather that is a close color to the one in Thea’s painting.

This painting is the first time Thea picked up a paintbrush.  She never had painting classes.  She was assigned a project that required painting with acrylic paints with a brush and she came home and did it one evening and took it to school the next day.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Butterflies
Modern American legend says the butterfly is a symbol of all the beauty in life-a stunning culmination of a metamorphic journey.  It seems fitting that Thea began her journey in the arts with butterflies.  In little over four hours Thea had evolved from fledgling dabber to artist, creating a vivacious colored pencil drawing marked with a signature Z-symbolizing Zest for life.  It’s said that the gold color of the butterfly’s wing represents the golden rule, “Do unto others.”  Thea strived in life to treat people with honor and dignity. Her butterfly drawing captures the natural beauty of her spirit.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

B.B. King

“I would like to be
remembered as a person that
loved people and wanted to be
loved by them.”
–B.B. King

“The best joy out of life to me,
is loving and being loved.”
–Thea Kay Leopoulos

This was something Thea had in common with B.B. King.  His feeling for life is reflected through his facial expression in the particular picture.  This piece was Thea’s first impressionist artwork and it was created with Thea’s fingerprints using two shades of blue.  She feverishly worked for hours even after a power outage.  Thea finished the portrait by the dim glow of a flashlight.  And out of the darkness she created a beautiful piece of art capturing King’s jovial outlook.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Liberty

Thea was very religious and patriotic.  She had written letters to President Clinton and debated political issues in class at school.  The night before, she saw the movie, Pearl Harbor, which was emotionally upsetting for her, and now was listening to her mother read letters her grandfather had written to his mother when he was a POW during World War II — all of this to help her prepare mentally for a competitive speech duet about soldiers and war.

The next day when Thea was running some errands, a reckless driver sped out of control and swerved in front of Thea’s car forcing her off the road and into a concrete wall.

It was Memorial Day.