CMS Student Artwork at Spring Fair
Middle School Artists Win State Awards
Chehalis Art Students’ 2026 Washington State Fair Success
We are delighted to celebrate the success of our CMS art students at the 36th Annual Jr/Sr High School Art Show, held during the Washington State Spring Fair in Puyallup. This show has distinct divisions for High School and Jr. High/Middle School students, but it is the only statewide show awarding prizes and recognizing middle school (6th–8th grade) artists in Washington. CMS students competed against peers statewide, including highly populated areas such as King, Pierce, and Snohomish counties. A total of 44 pieces by Chehalis Middle School artists were chosen for this year’s show, up from 11 that made the cut last year. Out of those 44 entries, 32 students secured placements or Honorable Mentions, earning a total of 42 ribbons up from 14 in 2025.
Chehalis Middle School Creativity
Under the direction of art teacher Mr. J. Travis Williams, the CMS art program has seen incredible success. Students who participated are representatives of the Advanced Art and Digital Art classes this year. Students are encouraged to make creative decisions and pursue individual, authentic works that best reflect their interests in subject matter and media. Mr. Williams teaches, advises, and coaches a successful balance of group and individualized compositional and design strategies across a variety of media techniques. Students commonly pitch then create works, developing revisions as artworks evolve from initial concepts to finished pieces.
- Chehalis students earned 10 of the 24 (42%) Best of Division honors and $625 of the $1,400 available in cash prizes up from 4 awarded top prizes in 2025
- Artform Placings: 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and Honorable Mention awards given within specific media subcategories of each artform (e.g., watercolor category of Painting, acrylic caterogy of painting). These top works are then considered for Best of Division honors
- Best of Division (Best in Show): Awarded to the top three artworks in each division (Top 3 Paintings, Printmaking, 3D Sculpture, etc)
And The Winners Are:
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- AJ Crowell: 1st Place, 3D Sculpture Division — $100 Prize “Silver Swimmer,” recycled art category of 3D Sculpture
- Veonna Rigby: 1st Place, Computer Generated Art Division — $100 Prize “Desert Ocean,” digital collage category
- Gus Thomas: 2nd Place, Mixed Media Division — $50 Prize “Koi Fish in a World Full of Swirls,” montage category
- Mirabel Burger: 2nd Place, Painting Division — $50 Prize “Bakery Window,” watercolor category
- Tru Hamrick: 3rd Place, Photography Division — $25 Prize “Pretty Kitty,” portraiture category
- Xander Coalwell: 3rd Place, Computer Generated Art Division — $25 Prize “Tentacle Monster,” vector drawing category
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Special Recognition: Brooklyn Thome – 2026 4× Best of Division Winner
- 1st Place, Mixed Media Division — $100 Prize “Deer,” collage category
- 1st Place, Printmaking Division — $100 Prize “Octopus,” monoprint category
- 2nd Place, 3D Sculpture Division — $50 Prize “Grant,” other 3D techniques
- 3rd Place, Painting Division — $25 Prize “Triceratops,” ink category
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- Kenzie Anderson: “My Favorite Artist” — 2nd Place, relief category of Printmaking
- Amelia Craig: “Frogs” — 2nd Place, monoprint category of Printmaking; “All the Young Dudes” — 2nd Place, collage category of Mixed Media; “Scorpion”
- Jackson Groberg: “Sharkspace” — 2nd Place, digital collage category of Computer-Generated Art
- Tru Hamrick: “Rainbow Self Portrait Prints” — 2nd Place, other print technique category of Printmaking
- Natalie Harjo: “Bee” — 2nd Place, montage category of Mixed Media
- Nai’yma Mantanona-Pena: “Deer” — 2nd Place, ink category of Painting
- Kara Rasmussen: “Koi Fish” — 2nd Place, low relief category of Mixed Media
- Nora Reed: “Night Sky” — 2nd Place, vector drawing category of Computer-Generated Art
- Gus Thomas: “Self-Portrait in the Style of Burton” — 2nd Place, graphite category of Drawing; “Luna Playing the Bass”
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- Mirabel Burger: “Queen Elizabeth” — 3rd Place, montage category of Mixed Media
- Amelia Craig: “Scorpion” — 3rd Place, recycled art category of 3D Sculpture
- Grace Eiswald: “Seascape” — 3rd Place, ink category of Painting
- Natalie Harjo: “Bee” — 3rd Place, monoprint category of Printmaking
- Lilly Wickert: “Koi Tab” — 3rd Place, low relief category of Mixed Media
- Josie Williams: “Animal Collage” — 3rd Place, digital collage category of Computer-Generated Art
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- Kenzie Anderson: “The Peak” — Honorable Mention, ink category of Painting
- Tru Hamrick: “Spa Day” — Honorable Mention in plaster category of 3D Sculpture
- Natalie Harjo: Honorable Mention, acrylic category of Painting
- Hayden Sons: “Angel with Halo and Wings” — Honorable Mention, watercolor category of Painting
- Rielynn Strong: “Blue Butterfly” — Honorable Mention, watercolor category of Painting
- Gus Thomas: “Luna Playing the Bass” — Honorable Mention, acrylic category of Painting
A Look at the Individual Art Pieces
The Great Blue in the Great Blue
By AJ Crowell
My print is inspired by the mighty blue whale who swims through the blue waters of the pacific.
1st Place 3D Sculpture
Silver Swimmer
By AJ Crowell
My Silver swimmer piece is inspired by a small art studio that I used to visit, where they would construct large sculptures from trash washed ashore the beaches. In memory of the art studio I chose to build my own with materials of highly consumed items from my house. I started collecting the cans for this project and quickly had each individual scale of the fish cut from the multiples of bubbly and soda cans. Each fin is likely constructed. The base made to look like sand was made of scraps from other projects, food wrappers, and a random assortment of trash. The supports and seaweed use old fencing wire that might otherwise have been scrapped. I like to envision this sculpture showing how decrepit our oceans have become and how we can upcycle to help.
2nd Place Monoprint
Frogs
By Amelia Craig
2nd Place Collage, Mixed Media
All The Young Dudes
By Amelia Craig
1st Place Collage 
Deer
By Brooklyn Thome
1st Place Printmaking
Octopus
By Brooklyn Thome
2nd Place 3D Sculpture
Tricerotops
By Brooklyn Thome
I was inspired to make my Triceratops because I've always thought prehistoric animals were interesting and beautiful. I made it with brush ink and painted shapes into the background with acrylic paint.
3rd Place Painting, Ink
Sea Scape
By Grace Eiswald
My Ink painting was inspired by nature, Nature is the one thing in life that couldn’t go wrong. It’s the good, the bad and everything in between. I think volcanoes show that yes we have anger and can blow up but we can still be beautiful and amazing in dangerous ways, the beach is showing the craziness in the waves, and the tall peaks show everything had different perspectives in life. and the hill tops are showing calm. Its showing that even when everything is crazy in their own way, everything together can make an insane mix of beauty.
Honorable Mention, Painting, Acrylic
Luna Playing the Bass
By Gus Thomas
My painting of my cat playing a bass guitar is inspired by my cat Luna. I also play the bass.
2nd Place Mixed Media
Koi Fish in a World Full of Swirls
By Gus Thomas
By Gus Thomas
2nd Place Drawing, Graphite
Self Portrait in the Style of Burton
By Gus Thomas
Honorable Mention Watercolor
Angel with Halo and Wings
By Hayden Sons
Grasslands
By Itzel Cortes
I made this to capture the beauty of nature and the outdoors. There is a doe out in a field with a tree, plants, and a bright sunny sky. I used colored pencils, ink, and a pen for this artwork. It explores themes of plant and animal life coexisting peacefully.
3rd Place Mixed Media, Low Relief
Animal Collage
By Josie Williams
2nd Place Mixed Media, Low Relief
Koi Fish
By Kara Rasmussen
The koi fish i made is swimming in a small blue pond. This was inspired by the Hariwake koi fish, which was originally found in Japan.
Honorable Mention Painting, Ink
The Peak
By Kenzie Anderson
This Edo ink watercolor was inspired by my love for nature, because it is so beautiful and has been on earth for so long
2nd Place Printmaking, Relief
My Favorite Artist
By Kenzie Anderson
This mono print was inspired by one of my favorite country artists, Waylon Wyatt. I love his music so I made this art piece about him because I love creating art about my hobbies and things that I love most. I also do it because It gets me inspired and ready to create.
Friends
By Kinsley Santiago
This drawing is based on my life and inspired by my friends. I like to express myself with these whimsical drawings.
Lily the RainWing
By Kylie Maddux
3rd Place Mixed Media, Low Relief
Koi Tab
By Lilly Wickert
My Koi fish represents my love of nature and how we protect it
By Mariah Unzelman
2nd Place Painting, Watercolor
Bakery with Window
By Mirabel Burger
This watercolor painting evokes a very fun and playful tone and reminds me of Amsterdam. I got my inspiration for this drawing from my mom who is an artist and specializes in watercolor and going to a bakery in the early morning and ordering some pastries.
Stacked Tea Cups
By Mirabel Burger
This was inspired by my second home Germany, and their Kafe und Kuchen (coffee and cake) afternoon tradition. In the afternoon they indulge in a nice little slice of cake with coffee which inspired me to do an art work based off of this, though coffee cups are not that fun to draw so teacups was the route to go. The drawing gives off a whimsical and classical feeling that is fun to admire.
3rd Place Mixed Media, Montage
Queen Elizabeth II with Flowers
By Mirabel Burger
This artwork was inspired by my love for history and historical shows, which you can find me watching in my free time. I also wanted to try to take some key details from a certain artist I like, Kehinde Wiley, and try to incorporate them into my artwork like the flower background almost portrayed like a wallpaper. I believe I really put my creativity and heart into this drawing by trying to execute crosshatching on my Queen Elizabeth, which evokes a feeling of originality.
By Nai’yma Mantanona Pena
2nd Place Painting, Ink
Deer
By Nai’yma Mantanona Pena
My ink painting represents my love for both nature and the beauty of animals. Deers are strong and powerful, which are two characteristics that I think are very important to learn for the future. The hardest thing about recreating this beautiful animal was the challenge of using ink to draw it because ink isn’t something you can just erase and do all over again. You can't make many mistakes and when you do, you have to use that mistake and embrace it into your art work. I enjoyed using my art skills and used them to make one of God's beautiful creations
3rd Place Printmaking, Monoprint
Giraffe
By Natalie Harjo
2nd Place Mixed Media, Montage
Bee
By Natalie Harjo
Honorable Mention Painting, Acrylic
Leopard
By Natalie Harjo
My painting is a representation of my passion, which is creating animals in an artistic format. Leopards are bold and powerful, which are two characteristics I really enjoy attempting to replicate on canvas. The challenge of capturing this majestic creature with simple acrylic paint was what made finishing the art piece infinitely more rewarding. I enjoy using my talents to capture God’s creation and am proud of what I have created.
2nd Place Computer Generated Art, Vector Drawing
Night Sky
By Nora Reed
By Rielynn Strong
Honorable Mention Painting, Watercolor
Blue Butterfly
By Rielynn Strong
By Sofia Plancarte Medina
3rd Place Photography
Pretty Kitty
By Tru Hamrick
My picture of my cat shows how special and beautiful it is. I got my inspiration from the beauty of my cat and the beauty of the outdoors. The way my cat looks and the nature setting makes the picture feel calm and peaceful. It reminds people to appreciate nature and the little things around them.
Honorable Mention 3D Sculpture, Plaster
Spa Day
By Tru Hamrick
My spa-day themed face shows a calm and relaxing moment. I got my inspiration from skincare and fashion, which helped me focus on beauty and self-care. The peaceful expression reminds people to slow down and take care of themselves. It shows that self-care can make you feel fresh and confident.
2nd Place Printmaking, Other Print Technique
Rainbow Print
By Tru Hamrick
I got my inspiration from the rainbow in the sky, and my smile is like a rainbow too. The colors make the artwork feel happy and full of life. It reminds me of something simple can be really amazing.
3rd Place Computer Generated Art
By Xander Coalwell