Art Contest – Kid Winners, Midwinter 2016

The kids' division of the 2016 Midwinter Art Contest included some fantastic entries. It's always difficult to judge such wonderful works!

I'd like to thank my fellow judges Rufus Dayglo (comics artist for Judge Dredd and Tank Girl) and Diana Paxson (author of Taking Up the Runes and Essential Ásatrú) for the time they spent considering entries and for their thoughtful comments on the works created by these talented young people. This contest would not be possible without their generous participation.

Congratulations to our four winners! The assignment was to create a piece that somehow related to the character and legends of the goddess Freyja and the celebration of midwinter.

This complex goddess has many aspects. The job of the artists was to find something about Freyja that spoke to them and inspired them, then combine it with some aspect of midwinter and create their own original work of art.

These four young artists created wonderfully imaginative works of art. I hope that they will all continue exploring Norse mythology and developing their artistic skills!

Note: You can click on the art to see larger versions.

FIRST PLACE
Rune Hatrak
Age 9
Belleville, New Jersey, USA

Rune writes, "This is the burning of the julbukk [Yule goat]. Above it, you can see Freyja's eyes crying gold tears for her husband. The tears become the fire of the burning julbukk at the bottom."

What a wonderful graphic design! It's strikingly original and powerful. Rune was the runner-up in the Midsummer 2015 contest and now leaps to first place. Congratulations!

Diana says, "The simplicity of this design has a very stark, Scandinavian quality. The Julbock is especially well-done. Good use of symbolism. I could see this working as a Yule card."

Rufus adds, "This is very inventive and captures the spirit of Freyja, and it uses imagination to depict the Julbukk, the golden tears, and the fire. It's a very well constructed and clever idea!"

First Place: Rune Hatrak

SECOND PLACE
Orsolya Nagy
Age 7
Tab, Orgona, Hungary

Orsolya says the image shows "Freyja before the sun rises up."

Such a great drawing! I love how friendly Freyja looks.

Diana says, "Using crayon over lavender paper makes it look as if light is shining through – very effective. The elements in the picture are very well balanced, and I like Freyja’s expression."

Rufus writes, "I love this piece. It is so happy, and I love Freya's cats! I like that Orsolya was so brave using colour, and her drawing of Freya is beautiful!"

Second Place: Orsolya Nagy

THIRD PLACE
Zoë Terwedow
Age 11
Ashton, Illinois, USA

Zoë writes, "My picture is Freyja in the snow when it's snowing. Since we had to draw her in midwinter, I thought of drawing her in the snow when it is snowing. The cats are the ones that pull her chariot."

Another friendly Freyja! What a lovely picture.

Rufus comments, "Beautiful depiction of Freya in the snow. It is atmospheric and makes me so happy! I love how you drew Freya and the cats! The blue and brown are a great complimentary color combination, and the composition is simple, direct, and clear. You are a great artist!"

Diana adds, "The way the snow is shown makes is look very snowy. I really like the expressions on the cats."

Third Place: Zoë Terwedow

RUNNER-UP
London Hatrak
Age 11
Belleville, New Jersey, USA

London writes, "This is a picture of the burning Yule log in the hearth. Two cats sleep in front of the fire as a symbol of respect and reverence for Freyja."

London won second place in the Midsummer 2015 contest and tied for third place in the Midsummer 2014 contest. This is another great work! Part of the assignment for the artists was "to find something about Freyja that spoke to them and inspired them." London definitely did this in a wonderful way.

Diana writes, "The cats look very contented. The runes on the Yule log are a great touch. I also like the way you’ve done the bricks on the fireplace. This is a good picture of the meaning of Yule."

Rufus comments, "It's a great simple composition. I love how you drew and coloured the brickwork. Freya's cats look so happy and warm! There are some lovely details, the horn, the runes, the candles, and fir tree branches. It's a wonderful midwinter piece of art!"

Runner-Up: London Hatrak

Teen winners will be announced tomorrow!