Family Matters

How does this student honor a meaningful relationship?

Dion Hines, 18, Gold Medal, Mixed Media. Images courtesy of the Alliance for Young Artists & Writers and the Scholastic Art & Writing Award Winners of 2022.

What role does music play in Dion’s portrait?

Dion Hines, 18, believes in the healing powers of mental health awareness, family, and art. He is a senior at William B. Murrah High School in Jackson, Mississippi. Dion’s ambitions include starting an art therapy practice in Jackson and studying to become a college art professor.

What inspired this work?

I have a very close relationship with my sister. I was scrolling through my phone one day, and I saw a picture of us. I thought it would be wonderful to draw. It has a candidness to it, even though it’s posed. She was in the middle of getting her hair done, and I was just a mere baby. I really appreciated how joyful she looked and how genuine that happiness seemed.

What was your working process?

I drew the image bigger than the reference photo. I transferred that graphite drawing onto scratchboard so I could then use crosshatching to scratch away the highlights. I did an acetone transfer of hymnbook pages onto cloth scraps. Then I sewed the final scratchboard piece onto the cloth scraps.

What is the significance of your materials? 

A lot of the hymns I included on the cloth in the background deal with love and forgiveness. I wanted to use those loving hymns as a way to show the relationship between me and my sister. I didn’t want new cloth because I felt that would have a pristine nature. I used this really old cloth that had coffee stains and ink on it. It was from my teacher’s attic, and it used to be her grandmother’s.

What do you want people to walk away with after viewing your work?

You have to put effort into true relationships. Especially when it comes to family. I want to emphasize the idea that family is something to work toward.

Do you have any advice for aspiring young artists like you?

Routine is more important than motivation. Getting up and drawing every day, whether it be from something right in front of you or from your mind, is more useful than just feeling motivated.

Dion Hines won a Gold Medal for his mixed-media work in the 2022 Scholastic Art & Writing Awards.

To learn more about this program, visit artandwriting.org

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