In what has proven to be an exceptional year for Bayonne High School artists, six works have been accepted for the 18th annual Fresh Perspectives Juried High School Art Exhibition at the Morris Museum.

Out of 441 entries submitted from 50 high schools in northern and central New Jersey, judges selected 50 for the show overall, of which six came from Bayonne students.

Some of the entries this year were computer graphics, some digital.

The show will run from April 8 to June 9.

Art teachers Charlann Meluso and Tom Hart taught most of the students who won this year.

"This is a pretty big thing, since it involves schools throughout north and central New Jersey," said Hart. Bayonne High School artists had to face off against the best artists from a variety of suburban high schools.

Having six artists selected from the school is unusual, the teachers said.

"In the past," said Meluso, "we've been lucky to get one or two selected."

Winning, she noted, depends on the judges. Each group seems to emphasize a certain style.

One year, a certain entry was not selected, and the student resubmitted the same entry the next year and it won, Hart said.

"So we try to submit a variety of entries each year," he said.

Meluso said this year's entries included landscapes, portraits, and mix-ups.

"Since we don't know what the judges will like, we try go give them a little of everything," she said. "This year, we had some pretty wacky pieces, some traditional and some avant-garde."

Around the state

The winning pieces will be put on display at the Morris Museum in an exhibition that shows off the talent of young artists around the state.

Patricia Bossert's "Eyes to My Heart and Soul" features a digital image of her upper body, against which is a heart-shaped brooch with a part of looming emerald eyes in each heart of the open locket.

Bossert said she is obsessed with eyes and sought to create a romantic image by having the eyes staring out of the locket.

She will likely pursue a career in fine arts and graphics, such as in creating movie posters and symbolic portraits. Several of the artworks came out of a recent field trip to The Bronx Zoo.

Amir Mahmoud's piece depicts a digital image of a large yellow and white striped caterpillar preying on a small creature with identical markings. Amir put himself into the photo as the potential victim and later colored his clothing to match.

Sarah Ehrhard's "On the Same Path" features cloned images of the same person walking into a wooden area, the path breaking out of the frame of the photo. This image won four other awards.

A senior at Bayonne High School, Ehrhard will be attending Welks University to pursue a career in psychology. Jared Hart's digital photo, "Ribs," has won several awards, and depicts a slab of raw spareribs contracted against a blue pan with a carving knife diagonally resting across the center of the image.

He came home one day and saw his mother making dinner. He grabbed his camera, thinking the image would make a good picture. He said he usually takes pictures of people.

A senior this year, he says he intends to pursue a career in arts education and will be attending the College of New Jersey in the fall.

Sarah Cruz enhanced a black and white photograph of her grandfather's aged hand gripping a walker. The image becomes even more important because her grandfather has since passed away.

Cruz said she shot a role of people's hands in black and white. She saw her grandfather sitting in a chair with his walker and set up the shot.

"When I first printed the picture, I hated it," she said. Since then, she has come to like it. Originally, she had focused on this hand so that his face was a little blurred. She darkened it to bring the face more into focus.

Her subject's name Sixto Magtibay. He moved to the United States in 1995 and lived in Bayonne for a while. "I usually shoot people I know, mostly close friends who are into the arts, so they're cool about it," she said.

Youssef Shaker created a functional ceramic teapot, titled "Tea Tree," inspired by elements of nature. In this, he replicates a young living tree with sprouting vines.

The teapot is detailed with intricate texture. The colors are drawn from nature.

While not sure of which college he will be attending in the fall, Shaker said he intends to pursue a career in medicine, but will likely keep art a minor in college.

Terri Graham, Shaker's teacher for ceramics, said he had a gift for art.

"The opportunity for students to have their work on display in such a prestigious institution speaks volumes for the quality of arts education in the Bayonne Public Schools," said Joan H. Rosen, director of Art and Music for the Bayonne school system.

Fresh Perspectives is an annual juried show that began in 1998 with the idea of giving artistically accomplished high school students a professionally organized museum exhibition. It was also established to recognize art teachers for their encouragement and effective teaching of these students.

The show runs from April 8 to June 9 at the Morris Museum, Six Normandy Heights Road, Morristown. The opening reception and awards presentation is being held on April 24 from 5 to 7 p.m.

email to Al Sullivan