“Holding Poppy,” by 20-year-old Julianna Valle, received third place in our 2021 Creative Outlook Cover Contest.
Valle, a sophomore at the University of Texas at Austin studying Studio Art, enjoys digital painting on Photoshop and Paint Tool SAI as well as working with graphite and charcoal.
“I love how there are different types of art and there is really no wrong answer in art,” she said. “You can create art however you want to and the audience can feel a certain emotion from the piece.”
The inspiration for “Holding Poppy” came from the human need for warmth in our lives.
“Sometimes, we need someone or something to hold onto when life becomes stressful,” Valle said. “During the time that I created the piece, I was actually very stressed in my senior year of high school. However, Poppy, who was the AP Environmental Science class rabbit, always brought joy to me. I held Poppy almost every class period. This has been one of my favorite pieces because it is so personal to me.”
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