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Feature
HOLIDAY 2014
Pumped Up for OCSA’s Annual Pumpkin Auction
Julia Tran
Pumpkin season is in the air along with
Staff Writer OCSA’s annual Pumpkin Auction provided
by the Visual Arts (VA) Conservatory. Many
Students from VA use the annual event as an opportunity
to raise money for their conservatory. Students, teachers,
and staff have a chance to bid on the assorted array
of pumpkins. Proceeds are donated to the Santa Ana
Zoo in return for free admission for the VA animal drawing class. Additional funds are given to our sister school in
Nicaragua.
In order to participate in the auction, students from VA
must draft out their ideas and get them approved by Mr.
Au. While most students participating in the Pumpkin Auction
paint a few pumpkins due to the
Senior Dominique Bowden
amount of time it takes to decorate them, some students such
as Senior Dominique Bowden (VA)
commit to painting large numbers while balancing out busy schedules.
Bowden has created a total of 46 pumpkins since 9th grade. This year alone, she
painted 15 pumpkins.
At the auction, VA generated over $2500,
with approximately $500 coming from
Bowden’s pumpkins. Some of Bowden’s
favorite works throughout her years spent
at OCSA are images from Tim Burton’s
movies: Nightmare Before Christmas
Doors and Alice in Wonderland Tea Set).
Bowden comes up with her themes by trying to imagine
unique and diversified subjects.
“I try to cover all the grounds of themes that I can think of so
that my pumpkins can attract students with different tastes,” said
Bowden. In addition, she gets a head start on her pumpkins weeks
before everyone by purchasing her artificial pumpkins beforehand at Michael’s and dedicating her free time to completing them.
“I would spend hours working to finish a pumpkin and then would start partially on my next
pumpkin,” continued Bowden.
This year, some of her favorites were the Ouija Board pumpkin, the Up pumpkin, and the
Tamagotchi pumpkin. While Bowden wins the award for decorating the most pumpkins, students will have to try to break Bowden’s winning streak for the most painted Pumpkins in the
years to come.
Photos courtesy of Dominique Bowden