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By NATHAN HOWELL | Special to the Reporter

PELHAM — Brianna Crumley, a fourth grader at Pelham Oaks Elementary, was selected to participate and won first place for her submission in the State Superintendent’s Visual Arts Exhibit in the Computer Generated Art category.

This year’s competition featured 584 entries from students across 43 Alabama school systems, which made Crumley’s win that much more significant.

Her artwork features a winter landscape, which her art teacher Amanda Knight said came about through the lessons she was teaching to the students.

“I was teaching about foreground, middle ground and background and how to fill a landscape with those areas, which is how she got to this picture,” Knight explained. “When we were trying to decide which piece to submit, we picked this one.”

Crumley, who is 10 years old, has been interested in art since she was in kindergarten and has grown to love doing computer generated art.

“She was actually a virtual student at the time. A lot of virtual students will do paper artwork, but she has always loved computer generated art,” Knight said. “She used the program Ibis on a touchscreen Chromebook, using a stylus to create this piece.”

Knight said instilling a love for art is important as it is a way to tie together all of the different subjects that children learn throughout their years in school.

“Art, whether it is dance, music, theatre or visual art is important for a well-rounded child. You use math, reading and all of the other subjects for it. We kind of tie it all together with art,” Knight said. “Brianna has always been one of those students who love art and it just made my heart happy for her to succeed.”

Crumley’s piece featured three trees at different sizes and depths sitting in waves of snow with flakes falling from the sky behind the trees. It was on display virtually with the top art from students across the state before being selected as one of the top pieces.