HVAA’s Alison Wieman served as event chairperson and is also the school liaison that works tirelessly with school districts to ensure all high schools feel welcome to have their students participate each year. A panel of judges had the difficult task of choosing this year’s top high school artists from 98 entries, a new record. “We awarded a total of $5,000 to these talented high school students,” Wieman said.

Daniel Morales is an art teacher and Art Club advisor at West Valley High School in Hemet. This is the twelfth year he has been involved with the Evening of Art. His students entered a dozen pieces of art in several categories. Two of his students took home top prizes. Noemi Martinez placed first in the Other 2D category, while Ethan Arevalo took fourth place. Ethan also earned second place for his Digital Art submission.

“I am proud of all my students who submitted artworks and look forward to next year,” Morales said.

West Valley High School Fine Arts Department Leader and ceramics teacher Joe Hameister has been at the school for 29 years where he has taught art, ceramics and tech theater. He has focused on ceramics for the past five years and was very pleased to see three of his students take the top three prizes at the event.

“I am very proud of the talent and effort all the West Valley students put into their artwork this year,” Hameister said. “This is the third year that HVAA has had a 3D category and WVHS has taken first place all three years.”

First through fourth place ribbons and cash prizes were awarded in five categories this year. Several of the students are past winners. Winners for painting were Valeria Hernandez, Hemet High, first; Jasmine Martinez, Hemet High, second; Alexia Leon, Tahquitz High, third; and Raiyah Ledwick, Hamilton High, fourth.

Valeria is a senior this year and used pastels and colored pencils to complete her “Pose” piece. “I’ve always done art,” she said. She entered two paintings in the HVAA competition, and her mother said she was about to toss the first-place winner but thankfully thought better of that idea. Valeria won second place finishes in two categories last year.

Other 2D winners were Noemi Martinez, West Valley High, first; Yadira Antonio Vengas, Hemet High, second; Samira Sumlin, San Jacinto Leadership Academy, third; and Ethan Arevalo, West Valley, fourth.

This is the first time Samira has entered an art contest. The 14-year-old freshman said the inspiration for her “Eye Contact” came about when she thought about doing public presentations at school. “I get anxious when people are staring at me,” she said.

A senior this year, Ethan named the painting of his grandmother “Preserved” because he surrounded her portrait with pressed flowers, deeming it a mixed media piece. “My grandma loves flowers and now her beauty is preserved in my art,” he said. “My inspiration was just how much I love her.”

Digital Art is a new category this year. Winners were Addison Marshall, Hemet High, first and fourth; Ethan Arevalo, West Valley, second; and Giuliana Gonzalez, Academy of Innovation, third.

Addison is a freshman who likes to do a lot of traditional art as well. She appreciates the teachers and family members who have always guided her through her artistic journey. The 15-year-old’s winning works were “Loyal Knight” and “Armored Duck.”

The Photography category was well represented by Kira Smith, Academy of Innovation, first; Molly Franks, Hemet High, second; Emily Franks, Hemet High, third; and William Archer, Hemet High, fourth.

Ceramics (3D) covered a wide variety of subjects. Top winners were Kah Layzjah Dixon, West Valley, first; Izabell Garcia Plazola, West Valley, second; Cayce Bellomy, West Valley, third; and Michelle Rocha, Hemet High, fourth.

Hameister said Kah plans to take Ceramics 4 next school year when she’s a senior. “Drawing and painting are the main things I like to do,” she said. The 16-year-old said she has grown up around artists, musicians and other creative people. Her “Kraken’s Cradle” was a real crowd pleaser for guests, not just the judges.

Other student submissions on display captured the attention of art lovers who took time to explore those that were set up around the space on tables and walls. Works by HVAA members were also on display and available for purchase, including works by 2025 Photographer of the Year Earl McNeese and 2025 Artist of the Year Betty Pilley. This month’s Featured Artist Pamela Flinn Schanuel, who joined the nonprofit, volunteer-led organization in 2020, showed several works as well.

Pia Ray, representing Assemblymember Corey A. Jackson’s office, presented HVAA with a certificate of recognition for hosting the Evening of Art and showcasing local talent and creative expression. On behalf of the California State Assembly, he thanked them for their “dedication to promoting the arts in our community” and wished them continued prosperity and success. All student winners also received certificates from Jackson thanking them for their creativity, dedication and contribution to the vibrant arts community in the San Jacinto Valley. He expressed his best wishes for continued artistic growth and success.

Fifth District Supervisor Yxstian Gutierrez provided certificates to the students that read, “Your artistic vision enhances the cultural spirit of the County of Riverside and inspires those around you. We wish you ongoing success in your artistic journey.”

Hemet Mayor Linda Krupa and Hemet Council Member Jackie Peterson were among those in attendance. Peterson said her mother was an artist who earned a scholarship to the Kansas City Art Institute but was unable to finish due to personal obligations. When her children were grown, Peterson’s mom started taking art classes again and eventually started teaching. Peterson said her own creative interests lie in writing and photography.

Watercolorist Vicki Moran credits HVAA with her current art career. After taking art in high school, she put her passion on hold to raise a family. After retiring from a career in book publishing, she began taking classes at HVAA and reignited her interest. She has gone on to exhibit her award-winning work at various locations. She chose to demonstrate how she creates her impressive watercolor portraits, which she began doing in 2020. Other Artists in Action were Jenny Gagnon, gourds; Laurence Bellocq, jewelry; José Pachelo, clay sculptor; Miyoko Whittelsey, watercolor; and Patty Greco, Japanese fish painting. Chairs were positioned around each workstation and al of them readily answered questions about technique, inspirations and more.

Hemet Valley Art Association’s mission is to encourage and develop the appreciation, study and practice of the fine arts and to further educate, inspire and enrich the lives of others through its programs, exhibits and activities.

Another goal of the Evening of Art is to give the community the opportunity to learn about all the local talent that the valley has to offer. With a variety of classes available for all ages and skill levels, the Hemet Valley Art Association welcomes everyone to visit the Downtown Hemet gallery at 144 N. Harvard St. For more information, 951-652-4592 or www.hemetvalleyart.com.

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The nonprofit service club solicits donated decorated trees to be raffled off at their event, with all proceeds going to fund the many projects and programs that serve its mission of supporting women and girls furthering their education for economic empowerment.

Darlene Woodcock has lent her creativity to local Soroptimists chapter for many years and joined the HVAA this year. As Ornament Project Chair, she proposed the idea of decorating a tree to fellow artists and they were all in to help this worthy cause. On Nov. 13, 20 artists each completed a blank 4-inch ball in the media of their choice.

Artists enjoyed the opportunity to share their talents with those who will be attending the popular Jingle-Mingle. Woodcock joined HVAA because she was looking for an organization that consists of like-minded people from the art world. She herself creates one-of-a-kind “Framed Junk Jewelry.” She said she enjoys communicating with the other artists and seeing their wonderful creations; they inspire her.

The art nonprofit is just one of the 30-plus organizations or businesses that are donating a tree to the annual Soroptimist event that includes a raffle for the trees and other holiday décor as well as a silent auction of all sorts of donated items. Along with the trees, which range in size from 2-4 feet tall, Jingle-Mingle organizers are expecting 10 wreaths and numerous table-top decorations. The silent auction is expected to include wine, gift certificates, personal care items, collectibles and much more.

The two-hour party will provide an evening with red and white wine for sale by the glass and chocolate-dipped strawberries provided by gourmet bakery chef and Soroptimist club member Cynthia Rodriguez of Cynthia’s Sweet Treats among other delights. The group is expecting 180-plus attendees this year.

“I like the very friendly atmosphere with different personalities and community members coming together,” Woodcock said of the annual Jingle-Mingle. “It’s a great way to start the month of December for holiday celebrations.”

Until it is transported to the San Jacinto event, the HVAA decorated tree can be seen from the front window of its gallery at 144 N. Harvard St. in Hemet. For more information, www.HemetValleyArt.com.

This year’s Jingle-Mingle will be on Thursday, Dec. 4 from 5:30-7:30 p.m. at the Golden Era Golf Clubhouse, 19871 Gilman Springs Road, San Jacinto. The cost to attend is $25 per person, which includes five raffle tickets and light refreshments. For more information or to purchase tickets, please visit www.sisjhv.org.

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Wieman serves as HVAA vice president and chairperson of the annual Evening of Art program. Opal, 13, has been a Junior Member for about three years. They also teach a Saturday morning art class together twice a month.

“Alison is a former teacher who brought a new level of community involvement to the gallery,” HVAA President Lynn Throckmorton. “Alison and I are committed to mentoring all our junior members.”

Opal, whose mother teaches at the Idyllwild Arts Academy, is an award-winning artist who enjoys the medium of oil painting and the genre of portraiture. She was excited to offer a variety of projects to the participants in the weeklong art exploration program. Meeting for two hours a day, a wide range of projects were provided. Participants learned how to tie-dye t-shirts, do hand castings, make stuffed toys through needlework, create a collage journal cover, and make masks with collage and/or acrylic paints, which was an overwhelming favorite.

“We want to give a big thank you to Kevin Robbins for donating the art kits to students in the class,” Wieman said.

Ely Garduno, 12, and Sarah Samara, 15, signed up for the class to have something to do during their summer break from school. They liked having a different project to do each day and said they would do it again because it was fun. Edwardo Guardino, 11, is a photographer who liked creating a cover for the personal journal the best. Milagros Garduno, 13, liked the freedom to express herself with each project and appreciated a new experience to learn.

“It was great to have Opal teaching because she could relate to the same perspective as us,” Milagros said.

The nonprofit organization offers classes and opportunities for all types of artists, and the event attracted art lovers that enjoyed seeing the featured work of junior members and sharing their own displayed work with friends, families, fellow artists and the community.

“We are happy to see so many come to admire and appreciate the diverse talent these students are bringing to our art center and gallery,” Throckmorton said. “This is the future of our gallery as we support diversity in art and diversity in our membership.”

Eve Khattab is a fairly new member who has won first place in Mixed Media for several months for her amazing art beading creations. She is a self-taught artist who created the art form 20 years ago after doing a lot of cross stitch.

“I thought maybe I can do this with beads, using a screen as my canvas, wire as my needle and beads instead of thread,” she said. “If I like something, I take a photo of it and print it out in black and white which shows the shading better.”

She keeps the photo in front of her as she works so she can get the colors the way she wants them to be. Growing up, Khattab showed her creativity in other ways like experimenting with her hair and makeup as a teenager. Working at a small family business, she was able to continue devoting time to her art beading. Now 75, she was pleased to find the Hemet Valley Art Association to be able to share her art with others.

“If you don’t explore, you can’t expose your work for others to see,” Khattab said, adding that her family is proud of her.

Stephen Packard creates unique relief acrylic pieces. He said he has always been interested in the space between sculpture and painting, so he came up with a way to bring them together. An HVAA member since November, his first entry earned him a Best in Show award. He also enjoys woven paper making and would like to teach a class in it at the gallery someday. The retired art educator worked at Temecula Preparatory School in French Valley for 20 years and says he appreciates all the Hemet Valley Art Association does for its members.

“I like the availability of a place to hang my work because I want people to see it and I can change out my work anytime I want,” Packard said. “I enjoy the friendliness of the people here. I felt welcome immediately.”

Madison Alcauter calls her varied and distinct collection of acrylics “self-portraits” and uses her art as a way to make what she’s confused about tangible. Getting her inspiration from music, she doesn’t use any reference pieces to create her works.

“When a song is playing, I can see a facial expression and then I just play with the lights and shadows,” she said.

Madison, 23, has lived in Hemet for 10 years and learned about the HVAA through her work at the framing department of Hobby Lobby at the Hemet Valley Mall. She enjoys having a place to show her artwork because it makes her feel seen.

Darlene Woodcock is also a one-of-a-kind artist who creates “Framed Junk Jewelry” after seeing it done on social media. Before she starts to build a piece, she decides on a background color of velvet material which she lays the deconstructed jewelry pieces on to create a finished work of art.

Zallah Hobson joined HVAA about a year ago because she was looking for somewhere to display her art. She has always loved drawing and uses markers, colored pencils and graphite to produce some of her work but also creates digital fine art on her iPad, which has become her passion. She takes classes at the gallery and likes learning from other people. She is working on establishing monthly young artist meetups.

“I spend a lot of time drawing—it takes up the majority of my day,” said the 17-year-old who is headed to college in the fall where she plans to study art.

Her mother Nicola Hobson said, “I love her being able to show her work and share it with everyone.”

Throckmorton said the culture at the association is evolving with more inclusion and diversity than ever before. She said members have offered their various professional expertise in marketing and sales to help support the gallery. A recent undertaking has been an ongoing fundraising campaign started by Linda “Vivian” Baranek. Each month members meet to create something that fits the chosen theme whether it be hats, birdhouses or wind chimes.

“We supply the talent and supplies and people buy the finished pieces of art to support the gallery,” Throckmorton said.

Since 1963, HVAA has offered a welcoming environment for local artists who enjoy sharing their work, learning, and growing with the community. The Hemet Valley Art Association gallery, at 144 North Harvard Street in Hemet, hosts regular classes and workshops and is open to visitors Tuesday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

For more information, www.hemetvalleyart.com or 951-652-4592.

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Student Achievement Awards were presented in a variety of media with first place winners receiving $500 each, second place winners earning $300 and third place finishers taking home $200. All three from the painting category are Hemet High School students. They are Chrissie Bugendyment, “Hills Burn in California, first; Valerina Hernandez, “Lost in the Forest,” second; and Jazmine Martinez, “Man and Moth,” third.

For the first time, an “Other 2D” category was offered. First place went to Ethan Arevalo from West Valley High School for “Pier Reflections,” second place to Valerina Hernandez from Hemet High for “Bumble Bee,” and third place to Alexia Leon from Tahquitz High School for “The Long Summer.”

Awards for best in photography were given to Lillian Gutierrez from the Academy of Innovation for “The Vivid Platter” as the first-place winner, Natalie Manquez from Tahquitz High School for “Journey Through Peaks” as second place, and Dazy Delong from Tahquitz High School for “Interlude” as the third-place winner.

The ceramics category brought out even more creativity and those who took home the top honors were Damien Ascencio from West Valley High School for his “Tooth and Brain,” first place; Nadir Landin from West Valley High for “Moon Rocket,” second place; and Paula Terrazas from Hemet High for “The Bloom and the Burial,” third place.

All student art that was entered into the competition was on display as well as the works of HVAA members, including those by HVAA 2024 Photographer of the Year Art Majerus and 2024 Artist of the Year Betty Pilley. There were also five art demonstrators. There was an artist using watercolor/mixed media, one whose specialty is custom painted gourds, a full-fledged basket weaver, a clay modeler, and an artist demonstrating pour painting. There was seating available at each of their stations, and they willingly shared their techniques with guests who had questions.

The always popular array of raffle prizes piqued the interest of many ticket buyers. Baskets of goodies from art supplies and gardening tools to wine and cheese hampers satisfied a wide variety of interests. Proceeds from the raffles, silent auction and ticket sales will help fund next year’s Student Achievement Awards.

Sponsors Valerie Drummer, State Farm Insurance, and Steve Kosta, Century 21 Masters, were an integral part of this year’s event. The members of HVAA are grateful for their support of the nonprofit organization whose art center and gallery is in Downtown Hemet at 144 N. Harvard St. Classes for children and adults of all skill levels are offered throughout the year. All winning art pieces by students will be on display at the art center through the month of April.

For more information, 951-652-4592 or www.hemetvalleyart.com.

Sheryl Cooley contributed to this article.

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