Seventh grader Caitlin Hartman’s work will be showcased at Ocean County College
A Palmyra seventh grade student’s collage was one of a handful of pieces from Burlington County selected to be included in the New Jersey State Teen Arts Festival later this month.
Caitlin Hartman, 13, created the collage by ripping small pieces of paper from magazines and gluing them onto a sheet. It’s a painstaking and lengthy process.
“It took awhile to find the exact color you wanted to get the right fade or design,” she said.
“It’s a difficult process because it takes a lot of time,” said Mike Budden, Caitlin’s art teacher. “You’re trying to match values, colors, (and) details.”
The piece is titled and modeled after Caitlin’s dog Penny.
“I really love my dog,” Caitlin said. “She’s the best, so I really wanted to take a picture of her and try to do a collage of her.”
Caitlin’s collage was picked by a team of judges to advance to the state event after it was shown at the Burlington County Teen Arts Festival in March.
“I was really excited to hear that it was going somewhere,” Caitlin said.
Caitlin said she has been interested in art for a while and plans to continue working at it as she gets older.
“You have to be able to see it in your mind,” Budden said. “Not everybody can do it, so Caitlin obviously has some advanced art skills and perception.”
“Penny” will be on display Wednesday, May 30, through Friday, June 1, at the state festival, which will be held at Ocean County College. From there, the piece could be selected to go on a tour and be shown at various locations across New Jersey, Budden said.
