As the year ends and students begin to shift their focus towards summer break, Visual Arts Scholastic Event (VASE) participants prepare for their state competition. From Apr. 23-25, 2026, the Texas High VASE team traveled to San Marcos with their adviser, art teacher Shea Phillips, to participate in the State VASE competition to display their art alongside 2,000 artwork pieces to be judged by veteran art teachers from across the state of Texas.
Three students participated in this event, including senior Elizabeth Sharp, sophomore Hollyn Gerrald and freshman Khaine Vasquez. Each of them submitted their own unique art pieces to the competition.
“My piece is about me and my sister’s relationship and how it’s been affected due to our lives moving forward,” Gerrald said. “I was inspired to make it by VASE because the club encourages me to make large pieces with my ideas on them, and I couldn’t make pieces like that without it.”
While some art pieces can illustrate a literal meaning, others convey their themes figuratively.
“This year, I submitted one of my AP portfolio pieces that I had been working on,” Sharp said. “It shows me running forward and a giant version of myself walking on top of me running. I really felt that this year, I had a solid explanation and meaning behind this piece in particular, and I had an inkling that it would be successful.”
During these students’ time in art classes, they continue to learn many different art forms, such as minimalism and abstract, which also influences their pieces.
“I was inspired to make my piece because I wanted to try out a new art style that I learned,” freshman Khaine Vasquez said. “It’s a pattern where I draw random lines and add depth and shape to it.”
Aside from the art classes Phillips teaches, which cover famous artists and techniques, other networks, like social media and other artists, inspire the students’ differing art styles.
“There are multiple artists that influence my style,” Gerrald said. “I take a lot of inspiration from small artists on Pinterest or Instagram, but I’ve been very influenced by, most famously, the colors of Vincent Van Gogh.”
The VASE program awards its participants generously, along with many other clubs and competitions, treating everyone with the credit they deserve.
“I absolutely love being able to have this sort of opportunity,” Sharp said. “Having received some great accolades from it, it’s helping me to have more up my sleeve when I get to college and also in the pursuit of scholarships.”
This competition also allows participants to experience and test many new designs and techniques, helping accelerate their careers.
“Being able to participate in this competition means a lot to me,” Vasquez said. “It makes me feel proud of myself.”
