St. Margaret’s art students won four awards, including the top two prizes for painting, in the student art division of the recent visual arts contest sponsored by the Woman’s Club of Essex County.

Senior Sydney Harris of Tappahannock won a blue ribbon for her graphics-influenced portrait series that used bold blocks of color. She will advance to the state competition in March.

Judges awarded second place to junior Saori Kaneko of Japan for a finely detailed, realistic painting of a river scene.

Senior Jackie Brunk of Sandy Point and Jackson Hole, WY, and senior Lauren Guiffre of Richmond won honorable mentions for their artwork. Brunk experimented with color and line in a mixed-media study of related shapes, while Guiffre demonstrated brushstroke mastery in a floral still life.

All four winners are students in the Senior Portfolio/Advanced Art class taught by Konst Konstantinov. SMS Artist-in-Residence Konstantina Konstantinov helped the girls prepare their work for the contest.

St. Margaret’s offers 14 classes in the visual arts, ranging from drawing and painting to mixed media and ceramics. Recent graduates have continued their art education at the Savannah College of Art and Design, Brooks Institute of Photography and the Virginia Commonwealth University School of the Arts.