The 53rd Springville Art Museum All-State High School Art Show featured 327 pieces of art selected from more than 1,000 submissions and one of the standout pieces was “Overgrown,” a painting by Chloe Horton, which depicts an angel statue near a grave, its headstone overtaken by lush green vines and flowering bushes. 

Horton completed the painting just before the submission deadline in January.

“It was 10 minutes before deadline,” Horton said. “I was working on it for a while. I started the initial sketch on Nov. 13, then over the course of a few weeks, it started getting more and more built up. It’s the first watercolor I’ve ever finished. Once I submitted it, I got a call from Springville, and my first thought was that something went wrong.”

The Brighton High School junior was pleasantly surprised by the news.

“When I answered, they said, ‘Congratulations,’” she said. “That really caught me off guard. It’s an honor to be a part of Springville show and to win the Third Congressional District Award. It means ‘Overgrown’ will go to (Washington) D.C., for one year, and be displayed in the U.S. Capitol.”

This is Horton’s first piece of artwork to win a contest.

“Well, in first grade, I did this painting of cat tails with a butterfly on it, and I guess it won something because it got framed at my elementary school in South Carolina,” she said.

Her Springville painting highlights a neglected headstone, often overlooked by many.

In her artist statement, she writes: “The piece represents the fear of death more specifically the fear of being forgotten. I created this painting with the purpose to show that death really isn’t so scary. The tomb is ‘Overgrown’ surrounded with plants and weeds. Mother Nature is caressing us with her loving hands helping us through this transition. And there we lay grounded, to our original roots. Even though we die, everything around us continues, the sun still shines, the birds still sing, the flowers will still grow. I find comfort in that. I find it beautiful the way it all intertwines. And that we will all eventually be forgotten, and as scary as it is — it’s all gonna be okay. the way the grave is etched covered in moss leaving the name indistinguishable from our view. But in a way that’s just as beautiful as the flowers that grow alongside it.”

Horton was inspired when she saw a photo of the statue at Highgate Cemetery in London.

“I had to do a project for my AP (Advanced Placement) art class where we had to make an intricate and detailed painting. I was just searching, and I stumbled across this, and it really caught my eye,” she said. “I’ve always been really into symbolism, and I want to create something beautiful with it. It really inspired me, this beautiful statue with this grave that you couldn’t see the name on it. It eased the fear of being forgotten in society once you pass away.”

Horton’s love for art began as a young girl.

“I always doodle during class and sketch,” she said. “When I got my first iPad, I downloaded an art app to get art lessons and that taught me how to do things like how to draw proportionally and shadow and draw things more intricate.”

Even before that, when her family was moving, she found inspiration to create.

“The story goes that my mom was packing when I was little and so to keep me busy, she just handed me a pen and a piece of paper. When she showed me how to draw with it, I was in awe, with my jaw open, like I found the Holy Grail. I really liked fashion then, so I’d draw dresses, even my dream wedding dress. I also really liked drawing flowers like hibiscus and beaches around me in South Carolina. I would always include people. I love drawing their eyes and faces and even their clothes on people, like my own little models,” Horton said said.

That love for drawing people turned into a passion for portraits as Horton grew older.

“I love capturing emotions. I like drawing the faces of strangers and show how I see them, without worrying about being perfect. Art almost calms my mind. I’m a sporadic person, kind of bouncing off the walls. I’m not really an anxious person, but I can get in that mind space, and when I just draw or paint it quiets my mind a little and makes me find joy and comfort and things don’t seem so strange and overwhelming. Drawing, in a way, is like piecing parts of what’s around me, and simplifying it so it’s not so complicated, into faces or landscapes. I’m not as good at landscapes, but capturing expression and their essence on faces is satisfying to me,” she said.

At Brighton High School, Horton has enrolled in various art classes—drawing, ceramics, jewelry and AP art—and she has dabbled in embroidery. Yet, painting remains a passion.

“Overgrown” is primarily watercolor, but she added fine details with colored pencils and painted highlights with watered-down white acrylic.

“When I get an idea, I begin on 

sketching. I use circles and lines, and then I cut out the negative space. Once I’m done rough drafting, I go on with the finer details, and then I block out the colors and add highlights and shadows and finishing touches. Even so, when I have a fresh blank canvas, it’s really daunting to put the first pencil stroke down,” she said. “I’m still developing my style and getting more confident with my brush strokes, and my overall line work. It’s soft and pretty, inspired by the paintings of the late 1800s and then maybe some of the 1700s. The way they did colors and values in those old pieces of art are really beautiful.”

With the success of “Overgrown,” Horton is looking to create more paintings exploring similar themes.

“I’m starting to take art seriously as a career and I’m actively improving my portfolio creating cohesive pieces. I like the concept of time and how quickly it passes, and how we need to save what we have left and make the best of it out of it. There’s a lot I can do with that theme,” she said. “I used to think of being a curator at an art museum, so I’d pick pieces for collections, and guide people around and talk about the art. I didn’t want to do art as my job; I worried about losing my passion. Now, I’m more confident in my skills and I’ve realized I wouldn’t lose my passion, so I’d like doing art as my future job.”

Horton hopes to travel to the U.S. Capitol with her family to see her painting on display.

“I like seeing how other people perceive my art, how it can impact someone and how they could interpret my art into their life, into their experiences,” she said. “That is so beautiful; it’s the best part of being an artist.” λ