Inside Malden Public Library, on February 10th, from six pm to seven pm, people came to witness sophomore Hazel Queen’s new art gallery. A week before, her paintings were hung on the hallway, exhibiting her creative talent.
During the event, parents and friends shared their interest in the works presented, and everyone had fun discussing the paintings.
Queen states she has been painting since she was around ten in 2020, when the COVID-19 pandemic started. She said she “started painting landscapes early on,” but did not enjoy it, so she “switched to portraits,” which she found more fun.
Hazel “does all different kinds of mediums,” according to her mother, Nicole Queen, although she mainly does oil paint.
Soon enough, Queen began submitting her artwork to the library every January, as “they have an artist of the month,” where “you can submit […] your art [to be] displayed,” according to her mother.
Her mother said “she tells me in January if she has submitted (her artwork) and (if it) is going to be hanging” in the library. Queen has submitted “every year” and every year she’s “gotten accepted,” she mentioned. This is her third year in a row being chosen.
According to Queen, she asks her friends for permission to paint them, and rewards them with the finished paintings as gifts. For example, her portrait of sophomore Edyth Howse was made for the latter’s birthday. In fact, she paints “a portrait of her (Howse) every year for her birthday.”
Queen’s favorite piece is her Maya Angelou piece, which is her “biggest painting.” She believes “size is very powerful,” because of how “daunting” it feels.
Queen finds it her favorite because “it’s pretty personal” to her, as Maya Angelou was “very important” to her. She began “reading her biography and researching her […] troubled childhood.”
For her painting, she “decided that I (she) wanted to combine her very powerful gaze with a more serious look,” to portray how Angelou had “been through a lot in her life.”
Another portrait she opened up about was one involving flying pigeons. She “wanted to incorporate […] subtle movement,” which she thought “can bring a painting to life.”
Queen mainly “wanted to play with the composition and make it seem dynamic,” which is why she used birds in the painting, “They’re fast and unpredictable.”
“It’s a very empowering experience just to know that your art is here, and other people can see it,” Queen mentioned about her gallery.
Queen thinks the library gallery is not “as competitive as people think it is,” as “it’s always good to just apply just because it can’t hurt.”
“If you were to look on the library website” or “Instagram account, I believe it’s all Malden Public Library. At the beginning or at the end of every single year, they post a call for art.”
Queen believes entering the library gallery is “not as competitive as people think it is, and it’s always good to just apply just because it can’t hurt.”
“It doesn’t cost any money [..] they’ll pick you, and you can put in what months you would be available to show art,” she added. Remember that sharing your artwork with the world and having a purpose can be uplifting and motivational.
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