Young artist, reaching for the sky

KENT ­— It was definitely strange walking into a museum and seeing my own photographs on the wall. Especially when they were surrounded by work by professional artists, who are selling their paintings for thousands of dollars.But perhaps “excited” is a more suitable adjective to describe my impression upon entering “The World Above: Artists Celebrate the Sky” at the Eric Sloane Museum in Kent. The exhibit closed on Sunday, Aug. 3.All of the artwork was by local artists, and each piece evoked an appreciation for the sky and its natural beauty. I submitted three photos.Even though teenagers were invited to take part in the show, most of the work was by adults — making it that much more intimidating to my 16-year-old self. But the teenage demographic wasn’t completely absent from this exhibit. In addition to my own three photographs, another young artist, Julianna Fontanilla, submitted five photographs.On the opening day of the exhibit, nearly 200 people visited the museum, and each day after brought a steady group of observers, the museum staff told me.Twenty percent of each piece that was sold will be donated to the Friends of the Eric Sloane Museum, a nonprofit organization that works to promote Eric Sloane and the museum dedicated to him.For news on future exhibits, email ericsloane.museum@ct.gov, go to www.ericsloane.com/museum or call 860-927-3849.