You wouldn't believe the kind of work that these kids do. I expected derivative, kitschy stuff, maybe a little talent here and there, but nothing more. Still, you never know. Rodney was right.
Every artist is competent, some are very good, and at least one is brilliant.
Another photographer, Manitou High School's Nathan Robinson, is represented by two particularly fine images. Ryan Putnam, also from Manitou, has four pieces in the show. Portraits of any kind are technically challenging, and self-portraits are emotionally challenging as well. Putnam's works succeed aesthetically through technical merit, but succeed as works of art because of the artist's openness and self-knowledge. It's difficult enough to paint well, but infinitely more so on a large scale.