Posted On: May 12, 2020
Springhill Medical Center’s Color By Kids Art Contest is held each spring and is open to all Mobile County students. Cash prizes, certificates, and trophies are donated by the SMH Auxiliary and supported by ownership.
The Auxiliary also coordinates an Awards Program held at the Mobile Museum of Art each May where all winners are recognized. The winning artwork is exhibited at various locations throughout the Mobile area, then brought back to Springhill Medical Center where it is featured prominently at the front of the hospital until the next group of winners is brought in.
This year’s contest had to be canceled because of the COVID-19 pandemic, so the 2019 group of winners will remain in our exhibit area until 2021 when the Contest returns. In addition, we are featuring interviews with our 2019 winners to keep our Contest in the limelight this time of year when it would usually be held.
Meet Augusta Finch, Lott Middle School 8th grader. Her painting, Essence of God, won first place in the 6-8 division.
“Being creative gives me the opportunity to look at the world through a whole different perspective,” she said. “To be able to experience the different forms of art that surround me is what I think brings out my creativity the most. The beauty, colors, and shapes of different things throughout the world I believe give me a great new outlook of what being creative really symbolizes. To me being creative means taking risks and ignoring doubt and facing fears. When being creative one has the ability to put whatever they’re feeling into a wonderful work of art, and this has to be the thing I emphasize the most.”
Augusta said she wasn’t always good at art, and she practiced for many years.
“ I first started drawing at an early age, I was determined to be an artist ever since elementary school. In sixth and seventh grade I took art class at Dunbar in Mobile.
My teacher was Mrs. Duffis there, and I learned a few shading and distance techniques for drawing. It helped a good bit. From then on I was self-taught. Over time, my artistic abilities have (improved) rapidly. ”
She said she just started painting in February 2019. “With this wonderful gift, I plan to use my art toward whatever draws my attention whether it be clothing design, drawing, painting, cake decorating. Whatever it is I plan to make some profit from it, and by doing this to get my name out there.”
Because she also loves to cook and hopes to be an amazing one someday, she said, “my skill of art can also fuse together and make it ten times better. After all, most people like things that look good but also taste good.”
“Pull out the materials, set all emotions free, let them riddle your canvas, for it brings peace and a sense of relief - that’s my philosophy.”