Heidi Roach, a junior at Island School, recently took home the gold key award at the 2020 Scholastic Art &Writing Awards hosted by the Hawai‘i State Foundation on Culture and the Arts on O‘ahu.
It was the first time Roach’s artwork earned top honors at the competition, but is her third year entering the contest. Roach said she didn’t anticipate receiving the award after coming home empty-handed last year.
“I wasn’t expecting it, especially since no one from Kaua‘i won last year. I received the silver key (second place) when I was a freshman, but this year I won the gold key, so this was pretty cool,” said Roach.
The piece that Roach entered is an acrylic landscape painting of the North Shore, “Hideaway’s Beach,” painted during her lunch period.
Roach gives a lot of credit to art teacher Penny Nichols for introducing her to the contest and being a role model.
“A huge thanks to Ms. Penny. She is not only an art teacher to me, I look up to her, too,” Roach said.
”Her advice and our conversations means a lot to me,” Roach said. “I thought about art a lot more since I met her. She is like a professional artist. She has her works of art in a lot of different museums.”
Roach says it’s partly Nichols’ influence that has made her consider pursuing a career in art. She’s also considering a career in nursing.
Nichols said she’s proud to have Roach as a student.
“It’s been wonderful to work with Heidi and see her grow as an artist,” Nichols said.
When she’s not painting, Roach likes to spend time with family and friends, especially her father, Fran Roach, who is another role model for the artist.
“My dad and I had a thing where we have coffee on Fridays. Now its an everyday thing,” said Roach. “I really look up to my dad. He has a great personality, and I love how mature he is and how well he handles himself.
“When I see myself react to something small and then see my dad react to something really big, it makes me want to be like him in that way.”
Fran Roach says his daughter’s talents bring him inspiration.
“She truly enjoys art, and her beautiful paintings put a smile on my face. Heidi has unlimited potential in anything she sets her mind on. I’m a very, very proud father,” said Fran Roach.
Besides the thrill of displaying her own art work at the 2020 Scholastic Art &Writing Awards, Heidi Roach said it was amazing to see the rest of the art that made it into the show, as well as to experience people gathering around her displayed artwork.
All of the winners’ art is on display at the Hawaiʻi State Art Museum through March 14.
As she considers careers in both art and nursing, Roach said she’s aiming for the University of Hawai‘i at Manoa. Her next move, though, is to debut her art on all of her social-media platforms. She’s also considering branching out to different artistic mediums.
“I always knew people could pursue a career in art and I could try it even if it doesn’t work out. Now, after my experiences and mentorship from Ms. Penny, I am thinking about designing bathing suits. I think it would be cool to see yourself in your own stuff,” Roach said.
All in all, Roach said entering the contest was an experience she’d recommend to others.
“Just go for it. It’s a super-amazing experience, and you meet a lot of cool, interesting people. It’s a really unique experience.”
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Stephanie Shinno, staff writer, can be reached at 245-0424 or sshinno@thegardenisland.com.
